Poverty Alleviation of State Ethic Affairs Commission

　　【Overview】  State Ethic Affairs Commission (hereinafter SEAC) pays very much attention to the poverty alleviation and development in minority areas. According to LGOP’s unified arrangement, in minority work principles of solidarity, efforts and common prosperous development, SEAC researches and carries out the poverty alleviation and development policies in minority areas solidly, innovatively, carefully and efficiently, focuses on the development of minorities of small populations, frontier prosperity and people’s richness, reinforces fixed-point poverty alleviation, goes on intellectual frontier aid, popularization and application of computer-aided agriculture in impoverished areas and minority areas, and boosts minorities’ shaking off poverty and getting rich in impoverished areas.

　　SEAC, as a member of Inter-Ministry Rural Poverty Monitoring Joint Conference initiated by National Bureau of Statistics, analyzes and researches related data and documents based on the specialty of minority’s poverty problems, provides reference for the decisions of party and political departments, and provides related statistics information services for the public.

　　【Poverty alleviation survey】  In 2009, the leaders of SEAC led a team to carry out investigation and research in impoverished minority areas, participated in the national poverty alleviation strategy and policy system leading group joint survey arranged by LGOP, participated in the drafting of segmented survey report, and put forward revising advice on LGOP’s “Circular Concerning Related policies after New Poverty Alleviation Standards are Implemented (Exposure Draft)”. SEAC, with National Development and Reform Commission, handled the exceptional poverty survey of Wuling Mountain Area, studied and put forward the development planning thought of minority areas in exceptional poverty, set up “Wuling Mountain Economic Coordination Area”, and probed the new development path of trans-province impoverished areas. In the research and development of related policies and measures, SEAC presented the difficulties and problems in impoverished minority areas, and put forward policies, measures and advice to boost the poverty alleviation and development in impoverished minority areas.

　　【Rural poverty monitoring in minority areas】  SEAC, as a member of Inter-Ministry Rural Poverty Monitoring Joint Conference initiated by National Bureau of Statistics, analyzes and researches related data and information according to the specialty of minority poverty problems, provides decisioning reference for party and political departments at all levels, and provides related statistics information services for the public.

　　【International cooperation in poverty alleviation and development】  In 2009, SEAC went on with “China Minority and Minority Area Comprehensive Poverty Alleviation Demonstration Project”, on which SEAC cooperated with United Nations Development Program, launched UN/Spain Millennium Development Goals Fund Culture & Development Plan, got foreign investments of over 6 million USD, used minority areas in Guizhou, Yunnan, Qinghai and Tibet, etc, as demonstrative points, and developed minority social culture development demonstration with stress.

　　【Support ethnic minority groups】  After the State Council approved and implemented “Plan to Support the Development of Ethnic Minority Groups (2005-2010)”, under the stress of the central party committee and the State Council, with support from related ministries and departments of the State Council, as well as related provinces, the support to the development of ethnic minority groups has developed smoothly and healthily, and the effect has been obvious. According to statistics, by the end of 2009, all departments invested over 2.9 billion Yuan and arranged over 8000 various supporting projects. By the end of 2009, among the 640 villages of ethnic minority groups, nearly 570 villages reached the examination standards, the goal of 4-Through, 5-Possession and 3-Reach was achieved, and the finished rate was 90%. In the areas of ethnic minority groups, production developed, living standards were improved, the nationalities were united and the society was stable.

　　In 2009, SEAC insisted on the support to the development of ethnic minority groups as an important task in the nationality work in the new era, and finished some jobs. First, SEAC summarized the progress of “Plan to Support the Development of Ethnic Minority Groups (2005-2010)” in the 4 years, and reported the progress to the State Council. Second, in July 2009, with the approval of the State Council, SEAC, with National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, People’s Bank of China and LGOP, held “National Experience Exchange Conference on Support to the Development of Ethnic Minority Groups” to publicize and implement the important instructions given by Hu Jintao, the Secretary-General, and Jia Qinglin, the chairman, summarized the achievements and experience in the support to the development of ethnic minority groups, researched and allocated following tasks. Third, SEAC coordinated special funds of 507 million Yuan arranged by National Development and Reform Commission and Ministry of Finance, and fund was increased by 75 million Yuan over 2008. Other departments of the State Council also played their roles, reinforce the support to ethnic minority groups, made plans, put the support into plans, gave priority to the support, provided preferential loans and made special policies & measures to support the development of ethnic minority groups. Fourth, SEAC held ethnic minority group development support dynamic monitoring training class, and over 100 persons accepted training. Fifth, Shanghai helped De’ang Minority in Yunan. SEAC arranged 9.2 million Yuan in 2009, including Shanghai’s aid fund of 6 million Yuan and Yunnan’s supporting fund of 3.2 million Yuan. SEAC implemented entire-village advancement projects in 18 villages where De’ang Minority lived, and include Dulong Minority into Shanghai’s aid scope.

　　【The Program to Develop Border Areas and Improve the Livelihoods of Local Residents】  In 2009, SEAC went on with the Program to Develop Border Areas and Improve the Livelihoods of Local Residents to accelerate the development of frontiers, coordinated related departments to research the new conditions and new problems in frontiers, reinforced the instructions on frontier provinces, and kept reinforcing the support the frontier counties. SEAC mainly did the following jobs: First, further reinforce the fund support to frontier counties. In 2009, SEAC included 136 frontier counties and 58 frontier farms of Xinjiang Production & Construction Crops into the fund support scope of the Program to Develop Border Areas and Improve the Livelihoods of Local Residents, the total funds reached 484 million Yuan, up 34% over 2008. Second, further reinforce the research on special difficulties and problems in frontiers. In mid December 2008, SEAC organized the joint survey team attended by 20 central departments to survey the grass houses (hazardous and old houses), minority education, minority culture and health, life guarantee for frontier residents, the development of ethnic minority groups and infrastructure of frontier ports in Yunnan and Guangxi, put forward advice on policies and reported to the State Council. Third, go on reinforcing the instructions on the local Program to Develop Border Areas and Improve the Livelihoods of Local Residents. SEAC held training seminars on the Program to Develop Border Areas and Improve the Livelihoods of Local Residents, trained the staffs in charge of the program in 9 frontier provinces and the Ethic Affair Committee of Xinjiang Production & Construction Crops, as well as village heads of the ethic affair committees in 136 frontier counties, about frontier stability maintenance, opening and project construction. Fourth, participate in the pilot work of national rural hazardous house rebuilding. After coordinating with related departments, SEAC put all autonomous counties in the west, all frontier counties and frontier farms of Xinjiang Production & Construction Crops into the national rural hazardous house rebuilding scope, coordinated related departments to instruct the confirmation of rural hazardous house rebuilding objects in autonomous areas and frontier counties (farms). Fifth, summarize the Program to Develop Border Areas and Improve the Livelihoods of Local Residents in the 11th Five-Year Plan systematically. SEAC held symposia on the program of frontier provinces and related ministries, as well as theory symposia on the program, summarized the work in the 11th Five-Year Plan, and planned the work in the 12th Five-Year Plan. SEAC coordinated related departments to reinforce the support to frontiers.

　　【Frontier support and poverty alleviation in intelligence】Frontier support and poverty alleviation in intelligence, initiated by United Front Work Department of CPC Central Committee and SEAC and operated by National Association of Industry and Commerce, provides thoughts and does solid jobs for the development of impoverished minority areas, helps impoverished minority areas train talents, make plans to shake off poverty, argue and consult projects, etc. Go on with the promotion and application of computer-aided agriculture.

　　【Fixed-point poverty alleviation measures】  In 2009, SEAC conducted fixed-point poverty alleviation and got achievements, with scientific development outlook as the instruction, based on the construction of the new socialist countryside, in the principles of “Outstanding stress, resource integration and attention to effect”, with impoverished villages and impoverished rural residents as the main objects, on the basis of poverty alleviation and development plan, mainly by increasing people’s income, improving infrastructure, improving labor’s quality, protecting and developing traditional minority culture.

　　Further perfect the 4-level ethic affair committee responsibility system, coordinate and integrate the resources of ethic affair committees and local governments at all levels, invest more into poverty alleviation points. In 2009, SEAC invested 2.55 million into Debao County to improve the infrastructure of impoverished villages and the new socialist countryside construction of Dashuo Village. In addition, SEAC coordinated Ethic Affair Committee and Region Bureau of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to give subsidy of 250,000 Yuan for the basic ethic affair departments of Balinyouqi and the construction of places for religious events.

　　In the fixed-point poverty alleviation, SEAC insists on the principle oriented by people, and conducts poverty alleviation in education, infrastructure, training and propaganda, etc, according to the features of minority’s culture.

　　【Poverty alleviation by education】  SEAC invested 400,000 Yuan into Xi La Mu Lun Su Mu Hu Ri Ha Central Primary School in Balinyouqi to buy the 3-language education equipments. 40 computers, 7 sets of multimedia teaching equipments, 40 sets of chairs and desks were bought. SEAC coordinated Ministry of Education to ethic give education subsidy of 100,000 Yuan to Daban Mongolian Middle School, to help Balinyouqi develop ethic education.

　　【Poverty alleviation by training】  SEAC helped Balinyouqi hold 2 non-agriculture technical training courses, and 540 farmers and herdsmen accepted training. SEAC helped Debao County to hold 4 leadership improvement training and standby cadre training courses with Tsinghua Unversity’s “Educational Poverty Alleviation Modern Remote Debao Teaching Station”, and 360 persons accepted training.

　　【Poverty alleviation thorugh infrastructure construction】  SEAC invested over 2 million Yuan and coordinated funds of over 1 million Yuan, helped Debao County to build infrastructures, including highways, drinking water, irrigation and culture plaza, etc, solved the difficulties in drinking water of over 1500 people in 5 villages and the irrigation of over 700 Mu farm land in three villages. SEAC invested 1 million Yuan to help the poverty alleviation point in Inner Mongolia to build livestock sheds, rebuild houses, drill electromechanical wells, build new small enclosed pastures, solve impoverished people’s living difficulties.

　　【Poverty alleviation through culture propaganda】  From January 10 to 12, 2009, SEAC organized 70 actors of China National Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble to give greeting shows of “Love of Homeland – Nationality Unity & Progress Propaganda Event” in Debao County.

　　Support the development of Debao County’s culture and art. SEAC helped Debao County to hold the mountain song competition of Nationality Unity Cup. 38 singer teams enrolled, 25 shows were held, and the number of audience exceeded 40000 person-times. SEAC held the 1st Nanlu Zhuang Drama Joint Show of Debao County, 25 art groups participated, and the number of audiences exceeded 20,000 person-times. Through the joint shows, folk art was protected and popularized effectively, Nanlu Zhuang Drama and other ethnic culture resources were further developed, which laid a foundation for the building of Debao County’s ethic culture brand.

　　At the same time, SEAC contacted related departments, and donated 100 “China Nationalities” magazines, 100 copies of “China’s National Newspaper” and 100 copies of “National Pictorial” to related units in Debao County.

　　【Poverty alleviation by medical service and health care】  Provide convenience in learning the ethnic policies of the party and the state for the local cadres and the public. SEAC organized 6 medical experts to provide free diagnosis in Debao County, provided free diagnosis and professional technical training for 7 days in Debao County People’s Hospital, Debao County CTM Hospital, Maternal and Child Care Service Center and Chengguan Town Health Center, diagnosed and treated 953 patients of internal medicine, pediatrics, gynaecology and CTM, provided 4 medical and health knowledge lectures for 765 medical staffs and cadres of units directly affiliated to the county government in Debao County, donated 60000 Yuan for Debao County People’s Hospital to buy gynaecological apparatus to solve the local people’s difficulties in medical service.

　　(Poverty Alleviation Office, State Ethic Affairs Commission)