Poverty Alleviation of China Disabled Persons’ Federation

　　【Overview】  In accordance with the plans of the central party committee and the State Council, China Disabled Persons’ Federation (brief as CDPF hereinafter) coordinates LGOP to undertake the special poverty alleviation for disabled persons and the fixed-point aid of Nanpi County, Hebei.

　　According to “The State Seven-Year Priority Poverty Alleviation Program” and ”China Rural Poverty Alleviation and Development Outline (2001-2010)”, in 2001, LGOP, Ministry of Finance, People’s Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China and China Disabled Persons’ Federation jointed constituted ”Poverty Alleviation and Development Plan for Rural Disabled Persons (2001-2010)”, to put the poverty alleviation for disabled persons into the support scope, unify the organization and synchronous execution. Local poverty alleviation and development plans should regard disabled persons that can work as support targets, and cover the poverty alleviation and development for disabled persons as an important content. Key counties for national poverty alleviation and development should put the poverty alleviation for disabled persons into county-level planning, execute poverty alleviation for disabled persons synchronously, and provide special support for disabled persons; other areas should make poverty alleviation and development plans for disabled persons according to local situation, to solve disabled persons’ subsistence steadily and increase their income with stress in the poverty alleviation and development for disabled persons, and solidify the execution.

　　In 2009, LGOP, Ministry of Finance, People’s Bank of China and China Disabled Persons’ Federation issued the “Circular Concerning the Examination and Appraisal of ‘Poverty Alleviation and Development Plan for Rural Disabled Persons (2001-2010)’”. The examined and appraised contents mainly covered 3 aspects: 1. Examine the finishing, effect and roles of policies and measures of “Plan”; 2. Summarize and judge the present poverty alleviation and development for disabled persons; 3. Provide reliable basis for the development and adjustment of poverty alleviation and development measures for disabled persons.

　　【Rebuilding of hazardous housings for rural disabled persons】  To relieve rural disabled persons’ housing difficulties, the central government, invested lottery welfare funds into the rebuilding of hazardous housings for rural disabled persons in poverty, and China Disabled Persons’ Federation was responsible for the execution and management. In 2009, the rebuilding project of hazardous housings for rural disabled persons in poverty planned to cover 69,000 families, the central government provided subsidy of 102 million Yuan for provinces in the central area and the west, rich provinces and municipalities, such as Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Shandong and Liaoning, tried to raise funds independently, and the central government did not provide subsidy for them.

　　The central government’s subsidy for rebuilding of hazardous housings was 2,500 Yuan per family, while provincial, municipal and county financial departments got equal funds from the central government. Local governments could increase local tasks and subsidy according to actual needs and financial strength. Local governments were required to reinforce 3 measures in the rebuilding of hazardous housings: 1. Reinforce organization leadership. Especially in hazardous house rebuilding execution counties, the leading team should exert their functions to provide organization guarantee for project execution. 2. Reinforce goal appraisal. Many provinces put the hazardous house rebuilding project into concrete affair projects and the goal approval scope of governments at all levels and related departments to perfect the incentive system. 3. Reinforce supervision and instruction. Disabled persons’ federations at all levels should reinforce the supervision and instructions on project quality, progress and fund investments, trace the effect and examine the project. According to statistics, 101,959 families’ hazardous housings were rebuilt, and the annual goal was over-achieved. The project enabled disabled persons in hazardous housings and without housings to own their housings and live in safe housings, solved the impoverished disabled persons’ basic living needs, improved disabled persons’ confidence in life and boosted the building of a harmonious society.

　　【Poverty alleviation loans for recovery】  Poverty alleviation loans for recovery are the special credit funds arranged by the state to solve the subsistence of disabled persons in poverty, are used to aid rural impoverished families of disabled persons, are helpful for planting, cultivation, handicraft industry and family sideline production, which can solve subsistence directly, and are issued to impoverished families of disabled persons as micro credit directly.

　　In 2009, the central finance provided interest subsidy of 30 million Yuan for poverty alleviation loans for recovery, and guided poverty alleviation loan plan of 800 million Yuan for recovery. The management rights of the poverty alleviation loans for recovery and interest subsidy were given to provincial governments from the central government, the management rights of the loans issued to poor families of disabled persons (brief as issued loans) and the interest subsidy were given to county governments, and provincial (county) disabled persons’ federations were responsible for organization and execution. In the interest subsidy given to provincial governments from the central finance, the proportion of interest subsidy for issued loans should not be below 50%; counties’ instructive plans of interest subsidy funds and soft loans were set by provincial governments and given to counties. In the interest subsidy period, the central finance should provide interest subsidy at the annual interest rate of 5% for issued loans and annual interest rate of 3% for project loans. The central finance should provide interest subsidy for 1 year. The interest subsidy periods are decided by provinces according to their situations. The interest subsidy funds should be issued to impoverished families/project execution units or through financial organizations. Interest subsidy should be issued directly to families or project execution units gradually where possible. The interest subsidy funds given by the central government to provinces should be adjusted according to the province’s issuance of poverty alleviation loans for recovery in last year, effect of interest subsidy and the completion of working plans in this year. Project loans should be issued mainly to rural disabled persons (families) in poverty to increase their income quickly, as well as to planting, cultivation, processing industry and medium & small poverty alleviation enterprises’ projects, which cover many disabled persons. The central government did not designate financial organizations to undertake poverty alleviation loans for recovery, all banking financial organizations that were willing to participate in poverty alleviation loans for recovery could issue soft poverty alleviation loans for recovery. The capital of loans should be raised by financial organizations that issued loans, the loan interest rates should be decided by financial organizations according to the interest rate management regulations and loan interest rate systems of People’s Bank of China. The loan periods should be decided flexibly by financial organizations according to the production cycles. The financial organizations responsible for issuing loans should select clients in the directory of impoverished families in poverty confirmed by China Disabled Persons’ Federation and audit loans independently. In 2009, loans of 791.85 million Yuan were issued to 68893 disabled persons in poverty.

　　According to “Summary of Conference about Further Poverty Alleviation for Disabled Persons of LGOP and China Disabled Persons’ Federation”, LGOP will assure the soft poverty alleviation loans for recovery of 800 million Yuan. Before the state releases corresponding pro-poor policies, responsibilities, tasks, funds and rights are given to provinces, and financial poverty alleviation funds are inclined to disabled persons in poverty properly.

　　【Practical technique training of rural disabled persons】  Practical technique training and quality training of disabled persons are effective measures to improve disabled persons’ psychological quality, employment ability, to shake off poverty and get rich. To reach the poverty alleviation and development goals for disabled persons in the new era, CDPF provided training through diversified channels, at diversified levels and in diversified modes. Choose modes and contents suitable for disabled persons, combine practical agricultural technique training and labor transfer employment training, assure that each impoverished family of disabled persons should have at least 1 labor that grasp 1-2 practical techniques to increase income. Disabled persons’ federations at all levels should support rural disabled persons when arranging employment training projects.

　　In 2009, the central government provided practical technique training expenses of 6 million Yuan, and supported impoverished areas in the central area and the west. The annual goal was to support the practical technique training of 200,000 rural disabled persons in poverty in the central area and the west. According to statistics, 840,000 disabled persons attended poverty alleviation training.

　　【Construction of poverty alleviation bases】  Poverty alleviation bases aims to arrange the employment of disabled persons and help disabled persons to shake off poverty, so that more disabled persons can directly get aid and support. Based on social resources, with poverty alleviation loans for recovery, financial poverty alleviation funds and disabled persons’ employment guarantee funds, reinforce the construction of poverty alleviation employment training bases for rural disabled persons.

　　In 2009, CDPF required the quantities and standards and local poverty alleviation bases for disabled persons. According to primary statistics, 4021 local poverty alleviation bases for disabled persons were built, and over 300,000 disabled persons were aided.

　　【Link of “Two Systems”】   In 2009, faced with the new situation and new tasks of poverty alleviation for disabled persons, CDPF urged the disabled persons’ federations in impoverished areas to participate in the link of two systems. Have statistics of filed impoverished people by disability kind under the state’s new poverty alleviation standards, verify the rural disabled population in absolute poverty and low-income population, provide rural basic living allowance and aid to terminate absolute poverty, improve the link of policies for income increase and shaking off poverty through poverty alleviation and development. Research, design and perfect the scope of Grand Patten of Poverty Alleviation in the new era, develop effective policies and measures for poverty alleviation and development of rural disabled persons; implement many preferential policies for rural disabled persons in poverty, probe and design new preferential policies, assure the implementation of all the state’s preferential policies.

　　【Expectation of poverty alleviation in 2010】  China has a large disable population in poverty, and in some areas, disabled people in poverty account for more than 1/3 of the local impoverished people and are in deep poverty, and disabled persons in poverty are usually the poorest among the impoverished people; disabled persons have poor self-development ability, a large proportion of them return to poverty, and it is the most difficult for disabled persons to shake off poverty among the poor. Now, disabled persons in poverty are the core difficulties in poverty alleviation and have become the outstanding and difficulty problems in poverty alleviation and the stress in the rural affairs of disabled persons. Only when the poverty alleviation of disabled persons in poverty is conducted well, China’s poverty alleviation can develop healthily.

1. Further communicate and cooperate with LGOP and other departments, assure disabled persons’ entire entry into “Grand Patten of Poverty Alleviation” strategy. Coordinate all departments in the link of the basic living allowance and poverty alleviation & development policies, participate in all links, including discussion and link, directly, lay a foundation in organization and system to protect rights and interests of disabled persons, put disabled persons that can work into the poverty alleviation and development scope through efforts and diversified channels. CDPF and LGOP will have special survey with related ministries and commission, research and design poverty alleviation measures for disabled persons in poverty, boost and develop new poverty alleviation fields for disabled persons. According to “Summary of Conference about Further Poverty Alleviation for Disabled Persons of LGOP and China Disabled Persons’ Federation”, poverty alleviation and development for disabled persons will still be covered by the state’s “Grand Patten of Poverty Alleviation”, rural disabled persons in poverty will be stressed poverty alleviation targets, pertinent and feasible special poverty alleviation polices and support measures will be designed; have classified registration and statistics of disabled persons in the poverty alleviation target monitoring system.

　　Select some poverty-stricken villages with good management ability, where disabled persons need development urgent but lack funds, set up village-level pilot spots of mutual funds, support poverty alleviation bases of disabled persons, help disabled persons in poverty with labor desire and ability to shake off poverty. Run the pilot projects in the existing management system and operation mode. CDPF should instruct provincial disabled persons’ federations to coordinate local poverty alleviation offices’ implementation of pilot projects.

　　Regard poverty alleviation for disabled persons as an important job, and reflect that significantly in the poverty alleviation and development outline for the next decade. At the same time, research and constitute documents to promote poverty alleviation for disabled persons in the new era.

2. Reinforce special poverty alleviation measures for disabled persons, improve the poverty alleviation effect. ① Rural construction projects should assure the production and life of disabled persons in poverty first. Try to get support from government, coordinate departments related to poverty alleviation, finance, construction, traffic, radio and TV, etc, include impoverished families of disabled persons into the project implementation scope while arranging basic farmland, infrastructure, environment refitting, public service and other rural construction projects, develop preferential policies and measures, assure synchronous or prior solving of human & animal drinking water, electricity, traffic, post service, telephone, radio and TV of impoverished families of disabled persons.

②  Rely on rural industrialized development, innovate poverty alleviation modes, help impoverished families of disabled persons to develop featured planting, cultivation and other projects to increase income according to local situation. Help rural disabled persons to develop featured and marketable planting, cultivation and other service projects according to local situation and disabled persons’ characteristics, attract scientific research organizations, various professional rural cooperation organizations and industrial organizations to participate in poverty alleviation and development for disabled persons, develop disabled persons’ “company + farmer” and order agriculture, provide information, techniques, sales and other full-course services for impoverished families of disabled persons, improve the quality and benefits of poverty alleviation projects for impoverished families of disabled persons; probe, develop and subsidize disabled persons’ stock holding of professional cooperatives based on industrial development, increase the income of impoverished families of disabled persons through employment, dividends and land transfer income.

③  Reinforce poverty alleviation in training, improve the science and culture quality of rural disabled persons in poverty. Aid each disabled person through training and employment. Regard the popularization and application of advanced practical science and technology in the training of disabled persons as an important job, choose modes and contents suitable for disabled persons, combine practical agricultural technique training and transferred labor employment training, assure that every disabled trainee can really grasp practical income increase technique.

④  Activate the functions of disabled person service center, provide full-scale guarantee services in poverty alleviation and development for disabled persons. According to the requirements on poverty alleviation, build service platforms, activate the functions of county/town disabled person service centers, perfect the positioning of functions and service systems, improve service awareness, improve service level. Grasp the labor employment and life situation of rural impoverished families of disabled persons, reinforce the cooperation with other professional and social organizations in countryside, and provide full-scale coordination services for disabled persons’ life guarantee, poverty alleviation and development.

⑤  Make good use of poverty alleviation loans for recovery, support the production development of impoverished families of disabled persons. Probe the effective operation mode of issued loans and project loans, create conditions for impoverished families of disabled persons to get loans; reinforce communication and coordination with various rural financial organizations, research and probe disabled persons’ planting, cultivation and processing projects funded with issued loans, as well as combination of government’s goal responsibility system with social aiding system, probe and popularize methods to solve the difficulties in guarantee of issued loans with financial funds and disabled persons’ employment guarantee funds as risk guarantee funds, enlarge the coverage of issued loans; support some leading project enterprises of “planting, cultivation and processing” that have good industrialization boosting ability, can support more disabled persons and achieve good effect across China, reinforce the verification and management of poverty alleviation loans for recovery spent on industrialized poverty alleviation projects, urge project units that have got loans to implement measures aiding disabled persons.

⑥  Accelerate rebuilding of hazardous housings for rural disabled persons and moving of immigrants, improve the housings of impoverished families of disabled persons. During the state’s low-income safe housing project and rebuilding of rural hazardous housings, try to put rural disabled persons in poverty into the state’s rural building project scope, integrate the central subsidy, social donations and other housing projects, accelerate the solving of difficulties in the housings of rural impoverished families of disabled persons; try to coordinate with poverty alleviation departments, pay attention to the housings of disabled persons in minority areas, organize the moving of impoverished families of disabled persons by stage in cold and remote areas of bad environment and little natural resources, where poverty alleviation and development are hard, combine rebuilding of hazardous housings and moving of immigrants with poverty alleviation and development, respect disabled persons’ willingness, pay attention to housing quality and barrier-free function, finish follow-up services and guarantee; after finishing housing construction tasks, go on paying attention to the production and living problems of families in rebuilt hazardous housings, avoid the return to poverty of disabled families due to housing construction.

　　(China Disabled Persons’ Federation)