Poverty Alleviation of Ministry of Civil Affairs

　　【Pro-poor policy】 1. Regulations for Rural Five -Guarantee Work: In January 2006, the Executive Meetings of the State Council approved the revised "Regulations for Rural Five -Guarantee Work". Those who are qualified for the five-guarantees subsistence in the rural areas include the senior citizens, handicapped persons, villagers under sixteen years old, persons who have lost the ability to work, persons who have no source of income, and persons who have no legal guardians whatsoever to support them or whose guardians do not have the ability to do so. The subsistence allowance is no less than the average income of local residents, covered by fiscal budget. The construction of support service agencies is covered by the planning for economic and social development. Thus, rural five-guarantee services achieved the transition from rural collective welfare to a modern social security system.

2. Rural minimum living security system: In July 2007, the State Council issued the "Notice on the Establishment of the Rural Minimum Living Security System Nationwide" (Guo Fa [2007] No. 19), decided to establish the rural minimum living security system across the country and included all rural poor who meet the conditions into the coverage of the system to permanently and effectively solve the food and clothing problem of rural poor in the county. The document clarifies the methods for formulating and adjusting the minimum living allowance standard, regulates the implementation procedures and requires the subsistence allowances to be included in the budget, marking the rural minimum living security system completed the exploration by pilot work and entered a new stage of comprehensive advance.

3. Implementation of rural medical assistance: In November 2003, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Finance jointly issued the "Opinions on the Implementation of Rural Medical Assistance" (Min Fa [2003] No. 158) and proposed to establish standardized comprehensive rural medical aid systems nationwide in two years. It also has specific provisions on the objects, scope, procedures, financing and management of rural medical assistance, marking the official establishment of rural medical aid system.

4. The Methods on the Management of Rural Five-Guarantee Providers: In October 2010, the Ministry of Civil Affairs issued the "Methods on the Management of Rural Five-Guarantee Providers", which has specific provisions on the management system, planning and construction, service targets, content of support, content management, staff, funding guarantee and legal liability of Rural Five-Guarantee Providers.

5. Further improve the urban and rural medical assistance system. In 2009, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and other three departments jointly issued the "Opinions on Further Improve the Urban and Rural Medical Aid System" (Min Fa [2009] No. 81) and put forward the requirements for medical aid system to adapt to the current medical and health system reform. Based on local experience sharing, the “Opinions” makes specific provisions on the assistance scope, procedures, content, standards, fund management, convergence of systems, departmental responsibilities, etc., marking the rural medical aid system entered a new stage of improvement.

6. Further standardize the rural minimum living security work. In November 2010, the Ministry of Civil Affairs issued the "Guidance on Further Standardizing the Rural Minimum Living Security” (Min Fa [2010] No. 153) and guided and urged local governments to improve relevant laws and policies, stress the main responsibility of county and township government, develop and adjust the standards of subsistence allowances, standardize the procedures of application, verification and approval, survey on family economic status, village-level democratic appraisal and issuance of subsistence allowances as well, and further enhance the level of standardization and institutionalization of scientific management to promote the open, fair and just implementation of the rural minimum living security system.

7. "Xiaguang Program" for the construction of rural five-guarantee service facilities: In December 2006, the Ministry of Civil Affairs issued the "Implementation Plan for ‘Xiaguang Program for the Construction of Rural Five-guarantee Service Facilities" (Min Fa〔2006〕No. 206) and decided to construct some five-guarantee service facilities in rural areas with public welfare lottery funds to solve the housing problem of the five-guarantee households. As of the end of 2010, the Ministry of Civil Affairs had put in a total of 605 million Yuan of public welfare lottery funds and encouraged local governments to invest 6.016 billion Yuan for the construction of 3,286 projects, including construction, renovation and expansion of rural five-guarantee service agencies.

　　【Important meetings and events】 In September 2004, Premier Wen Jiabao presided over the Executive Meeting of the State Council and made arrangements for addressing the production and living problems of the poor. The meeting proposed to improve the social assistance system and establish and improve the urban and rural social aid system to solve the production and living problems of the poor.

　　In November 2005, the Ministry of Civil Affairs held in Beijing the experience-sharing meeting on social assistance for urban and rural residents with special difficulties nationwide. Vice Premier Hui Liangyu attended the event and delivered an important speech. The meeting made important arrangements for the establishment and improvement of social assistance system and guaranteeing the basic living of urban and rural poor people.

　　In May 2007, Premier Wen Jiabao presided over the Executive Meeting of the State Council and made arrangements for the establishment of the rural minimum living security system nationwide. The system covered all the rural poor meeting certain conditions, giving priority to the sick, disabled, elderly and frail, as well as the rural residents who lost the ability to work and live in difficulties. The establishment of the rural minimum living security system is the main responsibility and under the management of local governments and the central government provide appropriate subsidies to the regions with financial difficulties.

　　In June 2007, the State Council held the work conference on establishing the rural minimum living security system nationwide to further improve relevant policy measures of the rural minimum living security system and make arrangements for the universal establishment of the rural minimum living security system. Vice Premier Hui Liangyu attended the event and delivered an important speech. Minister of Civil Affairs Li Xueju made a concluding speech and Vice Minister of Finance Wang Jun delivered a speech. In his speech, Vice Premier Hui Liangyu pointed out that the establishment and implementation of rural subsistence allowances system is a benevolent activity related to the vital interests of millions of peasants that follows popular will, marking a solid step towards the world "without hunger and cold" pursued by the Chinese people for thousands of years.

　　In November 2007, the Ministry of Civil Affairs held in Chongqing the “Work Conference on Urban and Rural Medical Assistance Nationwide”. The meeting summed up the practices and experience of various regions in providing urban and rural medical assistance, studied the difficulties and problems in providing medical aid, put forward the measures to further promote and improve the work and made arrangements for future task.

　　In January 2008, nine central departments including the Ministry of Civil Affairs, LGOP and Office of Chinese Ministry of Agriculture formed 11 working groups to conduct inspection on the living arrangements of rural poor people in 22 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

　　In September 2008, the Ministry of Civil Affairs held in Beijing the conference on national disaster relief and make arrangements for improving social assistance system and promoting disaster relief work. Vice Premier Hui Liangyu met with the delegates and delivered an important speech. Minister of Civil Affairs Li Xueju delivered a work report.

　　In December 2009, the Ministry of Civil Affairs held a work conference on the standardized management of national social assistance. The meeting summarized the major achievements of social assistance in 2008, exchanged experience, analyzed the current situation, clarified the basic ideas for the current and future social assistance and arranged the priorities and supporting measures for the standardized management of social assistance.

　　In November 2010, the Ministry of Civil Affairs held a national work conference on rural five-guarantee support. The meeting summarized the development achievements and basic experience of rural five-guarantee system in the "11th Five-Year Plan" period and made arrangements for the priorities of the current and future work.

　　【Recognition of advanced units and individuals in rural five-guarantee work】In November 2010, the Ministry of Civil Affairs issued the "Decision on Recognition of National Advanced Units and Individuals and Model Nursing Homes in Rural Five-guarantee Work" (Min Fa [2010] No. 155) and rewarded 200 " National Advanced Units in Rural Five-guarantee Work" including Beijing Fangshan District Department of Civil Affairs and 300 "National Advanced Individuals in Rural Five-guarantee Work" including Liang Baojun, and titled 300 nursing homes including Beijing Haidian Shangzhuang Town Nursing Home as “National Model Nursing Homes”.

　　【Rural social relief system】 The Central Government introduced a number of guidance documents on the construction of basic systems to establish and improve the rural social relief system. In 2010, the rural social relief system based on the rural minimum living security and rural five guarantee with health care, housing and education as important content supplemented by temporary relief was established to link with charity and social solidarity and it is suited to the current economic and social development level.

　　【Investment of rural subsistence allowances】In 2006, a total of 4.16 billion Yuan of rural subsistence allowances was issued in China; In 2007, the central government allocated, for the first time, 3 billion Yuan of rural subsistence allowances and a total of 10.91 billion Yuan was invested as rural subsistence allowances in China; In 2008, the central government allocated 9 billion Yuan of subsidies and a total of 22.87 billion Yuan was invested as rural subsistence allowances in China; In 2009, the financial subsidy from the central government was 21.6 billion Yuan and the total subsistence allowances reached 36.3 billion Yuan in the country; In 2010, the two figures respectively reached 26.9 billion Yuan and 42.3 billion Yuan. 

 



　　Figure 1  2006-2010 rural subsistence allowance

　　【Rural five-guarantee system】 A total of 4.21 billion Yuan was issued to rural five-guarantee work in 2006 and the figure rose to 5.98 billion Yuan, 7.37 billion Yuan, 8.72 billion Yuan and 10.19 billion Yuan respectively in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. 

 



　　Figure 2  2006-2010 rural five-guarantee funds

　　【Rural medical aid】 From 2003 to 2005, 900 million Yuan of financial funds was allocated by the central government for rural medical aid and a total of 1.5 billion Yuan was issued in the country. From 2006 to 2009, the central government’s financial fund for rural medical aid was respectively 950 million Yuan, 2.12 billion Yuan, 2.69 billion Yuan and 5.42 billion Yuan, and the total investment amounted to 15.3 billion Yuan; In 2010, the central government’s financial fund for rural medical aid reached 6.83 billion Yuan. 

 



　　Figure 3  2006 - 2010 central government’s financial funds for rural medical aid

　　【Coverage of relief policy】  In 2004, only 4.88 million rural poor people were covered by the rural minimum living security system. In 2007, the rural minimum living security system was established nationwide and covered 35.663 million people. As of December 2010, this system covered 52.285 million people. After the establishment of the new rural five-guarantee system, about 5.5 million rural residents were covered and almost all those that meet the conditions were covered by the system. In 2010, the rural medical aid covered 41.36 million person-times, of which 35.07 million participated in the new rural cooperative medical system, 2.28 million received hospitalization relief and 4.01 million received outpatient service relief, much more than that in the previous years. 

 



　　Figure 4   2006 – 2010 objects of rural social relief

　　【Relief standard and subsidy level】As of the end of 2010, the rural subsistence allowance reached 1420 Yuan per person per year, averagely 70 Yuan for each per month; the subsidy for those covered by concentrated five-guarantee support was 2976 Yuan per person per year and the subsidy for those covered by scattered five-guarantee support was 2105 Yuan. Both the relief standard and subsidy increased a lot over 2009. 

 



　　Figure 5  2006 – 2010 rural subsistence allowance and subsidy

 



　　Figure 6  2006 – 2010 rural five-guarantee subsidy

 



　　Figure 7  2007 – 2010 hospitalization subsidy per capita of rural medical aid