Tibet steps up poverty relief to improve livelihood

Combo photo taken on Sept. 22, 2020 shows villagers posing for photos in front of their vegetable store (L) in Daxiong Village of Riwoqe County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, and a relocation site in Riwoqe. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)

Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region saw urban and rural subsistence allowances cover 153,564 people by September, the regional civil affairs department said.

"The amount of urban subsistence allowances has increased to 847 yuan (about 126 U.S. dollars) per person per month from 590 yuan in 2015, and the rural amount increased to 4,713 yuan per person per year from 2,350 yuan in 2015," said Yang Xiaorong, an official with the department.

Tibet has also stepped up temporary relief efforts and set up temporary relief fund to prevent people from falling back into poverty. By the end of September, Tibet had offered temporary assistance to 17,454 people and earmarked about 48.2 million yuan for relief.

Rao Bianjiang, deputy head of the department, said the region will also enhance the care and protection of the elderly, and children in rural areas left behind by parents who work outside their hometown. It will also support social organizations involved in poverty alleviation.

Tibet has accomplished the historic feat of eradicating absolute poverty. By the end of 2019, it had lifted 628,000 people out of poverty and delisted 74 county-level areas from the poverty list.