Poverty Alleviation of Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security

　　【Overview】 The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security is designated to provide counterpart support for three poor counties, namely Tianzhen County of Shanxi Province, Huoshan County and Jinzhai County of Anhui Province. In 2010, giving full play to its functional advantages, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security continued to promote the overall, coordinated and sustainable economic and social development in the three counties in the fixed-point poverty alleviation and achieved good results.

　　【Poverty reduction by sending cadres】  In 2010, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security sent six cadres to support the poverty reduction of the three counties, of which three acted as members of county standing committee and vice mayor, and the other three were appointed as leaders of relevant towns and development zones. In 2010, the ministry held division-level cadre training seminars, bureau-level cadre symposia, young cadre training seminars and east-west public servant training seminars, which absorbed over 60 young cadres from impoverished counties, township cadres and county leaders, which broadened their horizons, increased their knowledge and improved their ability for poverty reduction. In addition, teachers and physicians from impoverished counties were arranged for further study in stressed middle schools and hospitals of Grade AAA in Beijing to improve their professional technical ability and quality. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security actively supported Tianzhen County of Shanxi Province to send more than 40 agricultural technicians to conduct field research and attend trainings in developed areas to learn vegetable planting technology and agricultural industrialization management knowledge and experience, which greatly promoted the industrialization of agriculture.

　　【Employment support and skills training】 To do a good job of employment support and skills trainings, the ministry coordinated Anhui Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security to provide financial aid for Huoshan County to increase one returned migrant worker venture park. They tried to set up University Graduate Venture Park based on the returned migrant worker venture park, provided 111 working posts and recruited 24 college students for “three supports and one assistance”. Meanwhile, they fully exploited the employment potential and actively guided and encouraged self-employment of laid-off workers. In 2010, 33 entities were set up to provide employment for 521 laid-off workers. In 2010, Jinzhai County increased 3842 working posts and provide employment for 2160 laid-off workers, transferred 8860 rural labors to other industries than agriculture, organized re-employment trainings for 500 people, venture trainings for 240 people, senior technical trainings for 300 people and new technician trainings for 20 people. The registered urban unemployment rate was controlled below 4%. One full-time staff member was added to the labor and social security office of each county and one labor and social security assistance was arranged for each village, forming the three-level labor and social security service network, covering the counties, towns and villages. In 2010, 7.48 million Yuan of petty loans were issued to the business entities, which greatly supported the work of entrepreneurship driving employment.

　　【 New rural endowment insurance policies】 2010 is the second year for the implementation of pilot projects of new rural endowment insurance. All the 3 fixed-point poverty alleviation counties of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security were selected as pilot points, and 1.27 rural people were covered. At the end of 2010, all the rural seniors in line with the requirements in the 3 counties could get pensions of no less than 55 Yuan per month, which helped the impoverished seniors solve some actual difficulties. In Huoshan County, for example, smooth progress was made in the implementation of pilot projects for new rural endowment insurance. The pilot project was called by the local cadres and masses as “the largest pro-poor project” and was widely welcomed. It provided guarantee for the support of elderly people in rural areas. In 2010, 119,000 rural residents in the county participated in the insurance, the insurance participation rate reached 70%, insurance premium of more than 60 million Yuan was raised, basic pensions were issued to 43,000 people per month and the pension issuance rate reached 100%. In 2010, the central government allocated 31.1 million Yuan for the new rural endowment insurance and the provincial government issued 1.84 million Yuan of matching funds. Taking the pilot new rural endowment insurance as the “commander” project, Jinzhai County seriously implemented the project and made steady progress in project construction. 252,600 rural residents participated in the insurance and the insurance participation rate reached 82.76%. 75,000 elderly people above 60 received the basic pension. In Tianzhen County of Shanxi Province, 84,000 farmers participated in the insurance to enjoy the same treatment of “retirement pay” as urban residents and realized their dream of being supported when they are old. Farmers had high enthusiasm for participating in the insurance and the premium collection rate reached 76.5%. In 2010, 22,651 farmers above 60 received a total of basic pension of 16.247 million Yuan.

　　【Improve the urban and rural social security system】 The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security actively conducted wider collection of ”5-in-1 Insurance” and established the social insurance system covering both urban and rural areas. Focusing on private enterprises and individual units, Huoshan County further expanded the coverage of endowment insurance, unemployment insurance, medical insurance, employment injury insurance and maternity insurance and, according to the principle of "systematization, multi-level, wide coverage and moderate level", further improved the urban and rural social security systems. A total of 18,873 people participated in the endowment insurance and 184.96 million Yuan of pension was issued to 4201 retired people; 16,460 people participated in the unemployment insurance and 11.23 million Yuan was issued to 3,315 people; 27,112 people participated in the medical insurance and 103.04 million Yuan of basic medical insurance proceeds was issued; 26,807 people participated in the employment injury insurance and 10.17 million Yuan of insurance proceeds was issued; and 16,619 people participated in the maternity insurance and 1.78 million Yuan of insurance proceeds was issued. In Jinzhai County, the number of participants of the basic endowment insurance, unemployment insurance, medical insurance, employment injury insurance and maternity insurance respectively reached 18119, 20000, 23800, 15510 and 15200. The wider collection of ”5-in-1 Insurance” advanced solidly with expanded coverage, which effectively solved the practical difficulties of the participants.

　　【Poverty relief training】In 2010, experts and scholars were invited to give over 20 lectures and consulting in the 3 poverty alleviation counties, which boosted the conversion of cadres and the public’s ideas greatly. For example, to fill the gap of Huoshan County’s talents and technologies, a returned overseas expert service team was organized to provide technical instructions, the team helped the county solve many difficulties and key technologies in the development of dominant industries, assisted the county to make industrial development planning, with stress on industrial technologies. Experts were invited to give instructions, and many measures were taken to build a province hi-tech industrial base. In 2010, the county developed a technology innovation program, set up a 500 million Yuan innovation fund to link enterprises with universities and research institutes to promote the "production, learning and research" cooperation. In 2010, it built a partnership with Wanxi College, Anhui University of Engineering and Nanjing University, held the seminar themed "innovating entrepreneurship to promote regional development of Huoshan" and achieved good results in some cooperative projects.

　　【Special poverty alleviation projects】 In 2010, it actively helped Tianzhen County to apply for pilot project of establishing a platform for grassroots services of employment and social security. The project was listed among the first batch of pilot projects and got construction fund of 6.6 million Yuan from the state. Meanwhile, the ministry actively supported Huoshan County to make extensive contacts with social resources, sent cadres to Xiamen, Quanzhou, Fuzhou, Shenzhen and Dongguan, invited investment of 45.5 million Yuan, reached a letter of intent for some projects and started the operation. It also coordinated relevant departments of the National Development and Reform Commission to help Jinzhai County apply for projects to expand domestic demand – the construction of county and town-level employment and social security service centers, and the central government allocated 8.07 million Yuan of financial investment. The county-level employment and social security service center building has five storeys, covering a building area of 4800 square meters. In addition, it actively implemented job skills training projects for students from needy families in Jinzhai County, selected poor students to study in the fixed-point designated senior technical schools (Technician College) for free or semi-free to improve the quality of poor students and increase their employment opportunities.

　　【Pro-poor measures】  First, continue the development-oriented poverty reduction. Supported poverty-stricken counties to develop and implement regional economic and social development planning based on local conditions and played a positive role in promoting the infrastructure improvement, enhancement of basic service capacity, fostering of rural pillar industries and promoting the coordinated and sustainable regional economic and social development; Secondly, give full play to functional advantages. Strengthened personnel training, introduction of talents and trainings for the civil servants of grassroots units in the counties and towns to provide intellectual support for poverty-stricken counties; Urged poor counties to implement positive employment policy to expand and stabilize employment and support entrepreneurship; Speeded up the improvement of social security systems in poor counties to further expand the coverage; Thirdly, conduct extensive development of social resources. Based on the needs of poor counties, it actively coordinated relevant parties to support expert consulting, project declaration, investment inviting, field research and sending cadres for practice, etc. Fourthly, actively implement the employment and social security measures. Guided the surplus rural labors to transfer towards non-agricultural industries, vigorously held job skills trainings for migrant workers in various forms, actively encouraged self-employment to help more people get jobs, promoted the implementation of pilot projects of new rural old-age insurance, speeded up the construction of county and township-level labor and social security service platform and network and strengthened special talent and professional trainings.