Poverty Alleviation and Development in Anhui Province

　　【Overview】 Located in the hinterland of East China, Anhui Province covers a total area of ​​139,600 square kilometers and has 17 provincially administered municipalities and 105 counties (cities, districts). It has now 20 national key counties, 10 provincial key counties and 65 key towns for poverty alleviation and development. At the end of 2009, Anhui had a poor population of 2.5067 million and the incidence of poverty in rural areas was 7.1%.

　　In 2009, the total output value of the 20 national key counties for poverty alleviation and development reached 155 billion Yuan and the fiscal revenue rose to 6.86 billion Yuan. There was a reduction of 965,500 in poor population, 550,900 people fell back to poverty or became poor people and there was a net reduction of 415,000 in poor population, with a decrease rate of 14.2%. There was a net reduction of 246,000 in poor population in the key counties, with a decrease rate of 13.4%, and a net reduction of 169,000 in poor population in non-key counties, with a decrease rate of 15.6%.

　　According to the sample survey on 2000 rural households in the province's 20 key counties for national poverty alleviation and development, in 2009, the rural per capita net income in the key counties in Anhui Province was 3,768 Yuan, 472 Yuan more than that in 2008, up 14.3%, and the actual growth rate with price impact deducted was 15.0%, 7.2 percentage points higher than rural per capita net income in the province. The per capita net income gap between key counties and other regions in the province was narrowed from 906 Yuan in 2008 to 736 Yuan, with a decrease of 170 Yuan.

　　【Investment of anti-poverty funds】  In 2009, Anhui Province invested a total of 881 million Yuan of anti-poverty funds, of which 810 million Yuan was from the central government, 160 million Yuan more than that in 2008, 59.73 million Yuan was provincial matching funds, 3.93 million Yuan more than that in 2008, and 12.80 million Yuan was city and county anti-poverty funds. Meanwhile, the government invested poverty relief loans of 973.17 million Yuan, 463.17 million Yuan more than that in 2008.

　　【Entire Village Advancement】  The province launched Entire Village Advancement projects in 608 villages, including 514 national key counties for poverty alleviation and development (305 “three guarantee” villages”) and 94 provincial key counties for poverty alleviation and development. By the end of 2009, a total of 3428 Entire Village Advancement projects were completed in the province, covering 820 “three guarantee” villages.

　　【Poverty alleviation by relocation】  In 2009, the government invested financial anti-poverty funds of 38.3012 million Yuan for relocation-based poverty reduction of 4055 households, with average subsidy of 9445 Yuan (including funds for infrastructure construction) for each household.

　　【Poverty alleviation training】 The government invested a total of 30.525 million Yuan of anti-poverty funds for 30 key counties (districts) for the trainings of more than 41700 surplus labors in poverty-stricken areas. The program has transferred 34,800 people in total and organized rural practical skills trainings for 200,600 people and management trainings for 11,300 village-level cadres.

　　【Poverty alleviation by industrialization】 The Provincial Poverty Alleviation Office and Anhui Provincial Department of Finance jointly identified 79 provincial poverty alleviation leading enterprises and there are now a total of 99 national and provincial poverty alleviation leading enterprises in Anhui. The government increased support for poverty alleviation by industrialization and poverty alleviation leading enterprises. In 2009, it allocated 23.465 million Yuan of interest subsidies and issued 783 million Yuan of discount loans (including 200 million Yuan provided by the Agricultural Bank of China), involving 114 projects, of which 45 projects valued more than 5 million Yuan. The province allocated interest subsidies of 9.5 million Yuan and household discount loans of 190 million Yuan and invested financial-anti-poverty funds of 10 million Yuan to support 115 farmers’ cooperative organizations.

　　【Mutual funds for poverty alleviation】 The government invested a total of 62.083 million Yuan of mutual funds, including financial anti-poverty funds of 54.397 million Yuan, farmers’ cooperative entry funds of 5.34 million Yuan and other funds of 2.346 million Yuan, and newly established 332 mutual societies with 14655 new members. By the end of 2009, in the 30 key counties (districts), 1662 mutual funds for development were set up, covering 62,300 households, of which 24,000 were poor households; the mutual funds amounted to 154 million Yuan, of which 137 million Yuan was financial anti-poverty funds, 12.846 million Yuan was the funds for farmers to join mutual funds, 1.715 million Yuan was city and county matching funds, and 2.524 million Yuan was other funds. A total of 138 million Yuan of fund was issued to support 33400 rural households.

　　【Poverty alleviation through contiguous development】  In 2009, pilot projects were launched in Susong and Huoqiu County with financial anti-poverty funds of 20 million Yuan. According to the requirements of “contiguous development with county as unit by fund integrating and entire village advancement”, it is estimated that more than 50 million Yuan of funds will be raised. 10 million Yuan was used for the contiguous development pilot projects in Changfeng, Jixi and Linquan to explore new models of poverty alleviation.

　　【Poverty alleviation through infrastructure construction】 In 2009, it newly built or rebuilt rural roads of 3438 kilometers, built 347 independent bridges and culverts, developed basic farmland of 1.47 million mu, improved irrigation area of ​​370,000 mu, implemented 370 drinking water projects for human and livestock, solved drinking water problem of 400,000 rural residents and 380,000 livestock, and carried out poverty alleviation by relocation of 16,000 people.

　　In 2009, the government newly built or repaired 108 primary and secondary schools of 33666.4 square meters, invested financial anti-poverty funds of 4.9111 million Yuan to support 6863 students from poor families to continue their studies, newly built or rebuilt 478 rural clinics and village-level family planning offices of 56,000 square meters, and purchased necessary medical devices.

　　【Industrial poverty reduction】 1. Establish industrial sector poverty alleviation and development responsibility system. It has further clarified the poverty alleviation and development responsibilities of the member units of the Provincial Leading Group for Poverty Alleviation and Development and required authorities concerned to give priority to speeding up the development of poor areas in the province's economic and social development, all industries and sectors should give priority to poverty-stricken areas and poor people in the allocation of projects and funds and constantly increase support for old revolutionary base areas, ethnic minorities, women, persons with disabilities and other special poor people. The member units of the Provincial Leading Group for Poverty Alleviation and Development at all levels must report to the leading group for poverty alleviation and development at the same level the implementation of poverty alleviation and development annually.

2. Promote the integration of resources for poverty alleviation. Taking entire village advancement, industrial poverty reduction, “Rain Plan” and relocation-based poverty alleviation as the carriers, according to the ideology of “comprehensive development and joint promotion with poverty alleviation as the platform and various departments as the implementation units”, the government integrated various types of resources to support the economic and social development in impoverished areas. Taking entire village advancement program as the platform, it strictly followed the “8+1” standard of entire village advancement program to perform the duties, and the relevant functional departments gave priority to involved roads, water and other public infrastructure and education, culture, health, training and other social undertaking projects in the arrangements.

　　【Social poverty alleviation】 The number of provincial directly affiliated aiding units increased from 230 in 2008 to 245 in 2009. We cooperated with the Provincial Party Committee Organization Department to send the fourth 31 outstanding cadres of the provincial authorities to provide support for the poverty alleviation and development in key counties; implemented medical assistance sunshine projects to provide medical facilities for 30 township central clinics with total investment of 16 million, of which 5 million was from China Charity Federation. According to incomplete statistics, in 2009, the province's various social relief funds reached 670 million Yuan, of which 150 million Yuan was direct relief fund and 520 million Yuan was project funds.

　　【Poverty alleviation measures】 1. Issue the opinions on further strengthening poverty alleviation and development in the new era. On August 11, 2009, the government issued the “Opinions of Anhui Provincial Party Committee and Anhui Provincial Government on Further Strengthening Poverty Alleviation and Development” and put forward that we must achieve full coverage of administration areas and targeted people in poverty alleviation and development and implement pro-poor policies for all low-income population in rural areas. We should focus on the implementation of "552" poverty alleviation action plan, that is to give priority to “five core areas”, namely northern areas of Anhui, Dabieshan old revolutionary base areas, flood retention area  along Huaihe River, remote mountain areas in the southern area of Anhui and Jianghuai watershed area in poverty alleviation. We must concentrate strength and work together to tackle key problems, integrate various kinds of poverty alleviation resources and provide relevant support; highlight the "five priorities", take entire village advancement, industrial poverty alleviation, “Rain Plan”, social poverty alleviation and relocation-based poverty reduction as an important platform for poverty alleviation and development, increase capital investment, improve the effectiveness of poverty alleviation and development; make clear objectives, take it as an important objective to increase farmers’ income and reduce poor people and strive to lift 2 million people out of poverty in 5 years. To intensify the poverty alleviation and development responsibility of relevant provincial departments, the General Office of Anhui Provincial Party Committee and Anhui Provincial People’s Government jointly issued the "Notice on the Plan for Division of Labor in the Implementation of the ‘Opinions of Anhui Provincial Party Committee and Anhui Provincial Government on Further Strengthening Poverty Alleviation and Development’ " and divided the responsibility of parties concerned.

2. Promote poverty relief discount loan reform. The province has introduced market mechanism, fully liberalized soft loan provision of financial agencies and changed the situation of only one financial institution could provide subsidized loans; highlighted support focus and paid attention to the effect of poverty reduction; given priority to key counties and industrialization poverty relief leading enterprises and also supported the poor villages in non-key counties; improved the model of interest subsidies and standardized reporting procedures to further give play to the role of poverty relief funds; made clear departments’ responsibilities and strengthened fund management to improve the effectiveness of anti-poverty funds.

3. Implement two extensions of “Rain Plan”, i.e. extending from short-term trainings to professional education, and from work skills trainings to agricultural practical technology and entrepreneurship trainings; included subsidizing children from poor families to receive vocational education (including higher college and university) into the "Rain Plan", carry out trainings of "new farmers" and farmers’ entrepreneurship training, and made regulations on the targets, standards and methods of funding.

4. Strengthen organization and leadership. It issued and implemented the assessment measures on the party and government leader responsibility system in poverty alleviation and development in key counties (districts), included the results of poverty alleviation and development into the assessment of the performance of cadres and made records to provide reference for cadre appointment; adjusted and enriched provincial leading group for poverty alleviation and development, leadership team members increased from the 31 to 45. City and county-levels authorities comprehensively established poverty alleviation and development leadership and agencies, key counties (districts) for poverty alleviation and development strengthened pro-poor institution-building, stabilized institutions and increased efforts on improving the effectiveness of their work; municipalities and non-key counties (cities, districts) for poverty alleviation and development established poverty alleviation and development agencies or arranged one sector to take charge of poverty alleviation and development and undertake the related responsibility. It has given play to the organization, leadership and coordination role of the leading groups for poverty alleviation and development at all levels to perform the poverty relief responsibility of industrial sectors.