Poverty Alleviation of Ministry of Housing & Urban-Rural Development

　　【Overview】  The Ministry of Housing & Urban-Rural Development (hereinafter MOHURD), to benefit impoverished people directly, improves the dwelling environment of the poor, improves the life quality and long-term development, and boosts the healthy development of poverty alleviation in the construction industry.

　　The previous leaders of MOHURD paid attention to fixed-point poverty alleviation. Many ministry leaders, including Li Zhendong, Song Chunhua, Wang Guangtao, Fu Wenjuan, Chen Dawei and Jiang Wei, etc, as well as many cadres at division and bureau level, with love to people in impoverished areas, successive went to Dari County and Banma County in Guoluo Zang Autonomous Prefecture, Tongren County and Zeku County in Huangnan Zang Autonomous Prefecture, for fixed-pointy poverty alleviation. In April 2009, Jiang Weixin, the minister, led a team to learn the practice and fixed-point poverty alleviation situation in Huangnan Prefecture, listened to the introduction of the prefecture and county governments, paid field survey on 2 villages/towns, and discussed about poverty alleviation affairs.

　　【Review of poverty alleviation】  The poverty of MOHURD has experienced 3 stages. Stage 1: After 5 years’ efforts, the ministry’s party committee, with Qinghai Provincial Party Committee and Government, made efforts together, the Tibetan people in the 4 counties in Qinghai almost shook off poverty and the subsistence goal by the end of the 20th century put forward by the central party committee was achieved. Stage 2: MOHURD worked on poverty alleviation as usual, put forward strict poverty alleviation guidelines, i.e., combine poverty alleviation with West Development, combine the local economic advantages and export-oriented economy development, turn from large-scale poverty alleviation to poverty alleviation by village/family, turn from poverty alleviation to prevention of return to poverty. Stage 3: Turn from stressed areas to overall fixed-point poverty alleviation, turn from aid to support. Through various pro-poor policies, enable poverty alleviation targets, i.e., impoverished people in impoverished areas, to shake off poverty; turn from traditional poverty alleviation methods to innovative methods, turn from external support to internal development, turn from industrial poverty alleviation to poverty alleviation in education. MOHURD has been very enthusiastic.

　　【Building and improving poverty alleviation system】  According to the poverty alleviation plans made by MOHURD, the ministry’s leaders held special poverty alleviation conferences to segment the tasks. Divisions, bureaus and public institutions of the ministry were required to improve their awareness, put poverty alleviation into their agendas, build and perfect leader’s responsibility system and responsibility division system, segment measures and focus on implementation. Put stress on impoverished areas in the implementation of the state’s farmer benefiting and strengthening policies. Have in-depth survey on rural hazardous housings in impoverished areas and rural dwelling environment, conduct investigation and research, reinforce work instruction, reinforce the reform stress. Insist on the working system of “provinces assume general responsibilities, counties are responsible for implementation, make plans for each village and implement the poverty alleviation for each family”, reinforce leaders’ poverty alleviation appraisal contents; poverty alleviation organizations at all levels should execute their responsibilities; perfect the planning system, reinforce the poverty alleviation information system construction and perfect the organizations.

　　【Rural hazardous housing rebuilding pilot project】  In 2009, MOHURD initiated rural hazardous housing rebuilding, and other departments coordinated. MOHURD, with related ministries and commissions, set the pilot scope of rural hazardous housing rebuilding, subsidy standards, subsidy targets and other basic policy documents, and laid a foundation for future rural hazardous housing rebuilding and solving of rural residents’ difficulties in housings.

1. Constitute important documents with related ministries and commission, reinforce rural hazardous housing rebuilding and fund subsidy plan. In 2009, to implement the policies of the central party committee and the State Council, MOHURD, with National Development and Reform Commission and Ministry of Finance, issued “Instructive Advice on Expansion of Rural Hazardous Housing Rebuilding Pilot Project in 2009” (Jian Cun No. [2009] 84), to plan the expansion of rural hazardous housing rebuilding pilot project. MOHURD, with Ministry of Finance and National Development and Reform Commission, issued “Circular Concerning Issuing Subsidy Funds for Expansion of Rural Hazardous Housing Rebuilding Pilot Project in 2009 of Ministry of Finance, National Development and Reform Commission and Ministry of Housing & Urban-Rural Development” Cai She (No. [2009] 41, 42). The pilot points covered key counties for national poverty alleviation and development, frontier counties and counties in minority autonomous areas in the west; stress was put on impoverished areas, frontier areas and minority areas in fund and task allocation; subsidy was mainly provided for scattered households enjoying the five guarantees, families of basic living allowance and other rural impoverished families in hazardous housings.

2. Regard impoverished areas as stressed areas in rural hazardous housing rebuilding pilot project. In 2009, the central government invested 4 billion Yuan to support the rebuilding of 794,000 rural hazardous housings. In 2009, the 996 counties covered by the pilot project included 558 counties for national poverty alleviation and development, 126 frontier counties and 630 minority autonomous counties (the 3 types may be repeated), and the proportions were respectively 94.3%, 92.6% and 90.3%. 98.2% of the central government’s subsidy funds and pilot tasks went to the above areas.

3. Pay much attention to pilot points of rural hazardous housing rebuilding in frontier areas. To protect and benefit the masses on frontiers, housing rebuilding is the entry point to solve frontier residents’ living problems. One of the important “Morale Projects” is Supporting Xinjiang’s “Anti-Earthquake & Safe Housing” Project. By the end of 2009, Xinjiang built and rebuilt anti-earthquake and safe housings for more than 2.27 million families and 9 million people moved into new housings. In 2009, over 350,000 families were moved, 450 suites of anti-earthquake and safe housings were built on frontiers, and the area was 23,400 square meters. The covered families included 223 settled frontier families and 227 seasonal frontier herdsman families. In 2009, the construction rate of Xinjiang’s “Anti-Earthquake & Safe Housing” Project was higher than in previous years, and the construction rates of Akesu, Tulufan, Hetian, Bayinguole Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, Aletai, Urumchi and Kelamayi, etc, reached 100%. Apart from high fund availability and mature technician teams, herdsmen’s settlement, poverty alleviation housings, hazardous housing rebuilding for disabled persons and other projects accelerated the progress of the “Anti-Earthquake & Safe Housing” Project.

　　【Recovery and reconstruction of disaster areas】 Launch post-disaster restoration and reconstruction in Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi according to the central government’s requirements to “combine earthquake relief and poverty alleviation, reinforce disaster areas’ self-development ability” and “finished 3 years’ tasks in 2 years”.

1. Launch post-disaster restoration and reconstruction. Organize expert terms to carry out field survey on geology, environment and development direction of disaster areas, planning and design. Instruct the recovery and reconstruction of disaster areas. By the end of 2009, it finished the recovery and reconstruction of rural buildings. Organize expert terms to inspect village/town planning and rural building construction in 19 resident points in 8 counties (cities) hit by disaster in Sichuan, submit the inspection report to the State Council Wenchuan Post-Earthquake Recovery & Reconstruction Coordination Team. Organize experts to examine and appraise village/town construction. Judged by the examination results, the post-disaster recovery and reconstruction of villages/towns achieved obvious effect, farmers’ housings in disaster areas were improved and the quality and safety of rural buildings were improved a lot.

2. Summarize post-disaster restoration and construction experience. Entrusted Mianyang City to summarize the experience in rural construction worker training in the post-disaster recovery and reconstruction and compile the rural construction worker training textbook. Support nearly 900 thin-wall light structure housings built by farmers in the disaster areas in Gansu and Shaanxi. Not only supported farmers’ home reconstruction in earthquake hit areas, but accumulated experience in the application and popularization of new-type building materials and new structure buildings in the countryside.

　　【Fixed-point poverty alleviation】  Since 1994, MOHURD has undertaken the fixed-point support to Dari County and Banma County in Guoluo Zang Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai, Tongren County and Zeku County in Huangnan Zang Autonomous Prefecture. According to the situation of the fixed-point poverty alleviation areas, MOHURD confirmed some poverty alleviation projects, including housings, county power supply, communication, traffic, water supply, road, other infrastructure, education, sports, radio, TV and other culture industries. In 2009, MOHURD helped 3 towns, including Kangyang Town, Maketang Town and Kanbula Town, in Qinaghai, to make the control plan, donated 1 million Yuan for the construction of 10 village activity grounds in Jianzha County and Zeku County, and coordinated Beijing Environmental Sanitation Group and Shanghai Environmental Sanitation Group to donate 1 garbage cleaning vehicle and garbage bins worth about 450,000 Yuan for Jianzha County and Zeku County.

　　【Local and international exchange and cooperation】  Exert the special functions of foreign affairs in poverty alleviation, go on with the training and exchange mode of “Introduction and Going Abroad”, boost the share of international social poverty reduction and development experience.

1. Introduce rural building construction projects. Introduce the thin-wall light structure rural building construction project in impoverished areas in Gansu from Taiwan, work on communication in the construction support and guarantee the construction.

2. Publish “Rural Anti-Earthquake Energy Saving Residence Construction Guideline” in cooperation with French Development Agency. Instruct the recovery and reconstruction of rural buildings in disaster areas. Discuss and decide to go on with rural pollution treatment, rural building energy efficiency cooperation, support “Movie Projection Project” and other projects.

3. Cooperate with Hong Kong Wu Zhi Qiao (Bridge to China) Charitable Foundation. Village and rural rebuilding post-disaster reconstruction demonstration project in Ma’anqiao Village, Xin’an Dai Autonomous Town, Huili County, Liangshan Prefecture. With financial support from Wu Zhi Qiao (Bridge to China) Charitable Foundation, a foot bridge in countryside was built up.

　　【Poverty alleviation by training】  MOHURD provides technical support and basic-level cadre training for impoverished areas. MOHURD puts stress on training of technical talents for impoverished areas, perfects training systems, improves training effect, and trains young technical talents for impoverished areas. In June and October of 2009, MOHURD held 2 training seminars of cadres and employees in Beijing and Jiangsu for Jianzha and Zeku County, Qinghai. Through centralized training, visit and observation, 90 basic-level cadres attended training.

　　【Technical services for rural building construction】  1. Prepare general demonstrative design pictures of rural residential buildings. In 2009, MOHURD finished “Serial international small town residence pictures” after 2 years’ editing, including the general demonstrative design pictures of rural residential building in 16 areas, architectural structure pictures, structure pictures, water supply and drainage structure pictures, etc, and provided instructions on rural building construction and improvement of village environment.

2. Bring techniques to the countryside. In 2009, MOHURD brought pictures for village/town planning, infrastructure construction and rural building construction, etc, to the country, and provided other technical services in Beijing, Tibet, Hainan, Shandong and Anhui, etc.

　　【Expectation of poverty alleviation in 2010】  1. Reinforce poverty alleviation in rebuilding of rural hazardous buildings. With the state’s financial support to the rural hazardous building rebuilding pilot project, according to the situation of impoverished areas grasped in survey by MOHURD, MOHURD will go on with the support to the rebuilding of impoverished rural families’ buildings in impoverished areas, west areas, frontier areas, minority areas and other stress areas with related departments, according to the central government’s requirement to reinforce rebuilding of rural hazardous buildings. Design related policies to invest more funds into the rebuilding of rural hazardous buildings in impoverished areas, to assure the safe housings of farmers in impoverished areas.

2. Reinforce the construction of anti-earthquake safe housings. Put stress on anti-earthquake safe housings, improve housing quality and environment, make all residents at frontiers to live in anti-earthquake safe housings, the area per family should exceed 50 square meters and there should be sound supporting facilities.

3. Industrial poverty alleviation in “3 Trips to countryside and 5 services”. According to the requirements on task segmentation in the central government’s No.1 document, allocate “Building Materials Going to the Countryside” survey task, select pilot points, design plans, probe subsidy policies for the construction of rural buildings in impoverished areas. Based on the good social response to “Bring pictures to the countryside”, further emphasize survey, further perfect related standard picture collection for impoverished areas, help impoverished areas with project quality and safety training.

4. Training of talents for impoverished areas. Train young technical talents for impoverished areas, implement the central government’s “Spring Buds Program”, design related training plans, perfect training systems, gradually enlarge the training scope. Put stress on poverty alleviation in technology, guide and instruct farmers and herdsmen to change their operation and management ideas, popularize application techniques. Reinforce the special skill training for farmers and herdsmen, improve impoverished farmers and herdsmen’s ability to get rich with technologies and knowledge. Solidify and develop MOHURD’s features of poverty alleviation in training technical talents, bring technologies and talents to impoverished areas.

5. Go on reinforcing the fixed-point poverty alleviation. According to the poverty alleviation plan of the central party committee and the State Council, according to the situation of Jianzha County and Zeku County in Qinghai, MOHURD coordinated Ministry of Finance to verify Jianzha County as a national renewable energy building application demonstration county. MOHURD coordinated National Development and Reform Commission to support the domestic garbage treatment plant construction in Maixiu Town, Zeku County. With various resources in the system, MOHURD trained party and political leaders and professional technicians in the housing and urban-rural construction system for Huangnan Prefecture, Jianzha County and Zeku County.

　　(Poverty Alleviation Office, Ministry of Housing & Urban-Rural Development)