Work report measures will boost fight against poverty

The government has vowed to make solid strides in targeting poverty alleviation, formulating guidelines on a three-year initiative for winning the battle against poverty through specific measures, according to the annual work report of the State Council released on Monday.

The government will fully implement the action plan for increasing support for areas of extreme poverty and eliminating poverty in all poor counties and regions, the draft report said.

The government will advance poverty-alleviation initiatives for local-industry development, education and health, and environmental improvement. The government will also target infrastructure construction and the development of public service systems in poor villages, the draft report said.

It said the government is committed to ensuring that, as well as lifting people out of poverty, it will also help encourage them to pursue their ambitions and develop skills.

In line with this, the government will establish effective long-term mechanisms that deliver steady progress and prevent people from relapsing into poverty and work with people and areas struggling with poverty to boost their capacity for self-sufficient development, the report said.

The government will provide stronger targeted assistance for specific groups affected by poverty such as senior citizens, people with disabilities, and people with serious diseases.

It will also amplify work-relief programs in extremely impoverished areas and encourage eastern and western regions to deepen their collaboration on poverty reduction.

The government will also strengthen assessment and supervision of poverty alleviation work and take tough steps to investigate and punish anyone who misappropriates or diverts funds, commits fraud, massages the figures, or does anything else to violate regulations and laws, the draft report said.

The government also said that it will continue to intensify pollution prevention and control by formulating and implementing plans for winning the battle against pollution and an action plan for making the skies blue again.

The government will increase the supply of clean power; steadily advance major projects aimed at cutting coal consumption, such as those to promote the use of shallow geothermal energy, the upgrading of coal-fired steam boilers to make them energy efficient, and the recovery of waste heat for household heating; and steadily move forward with adopting clean energy sources for winter heating in northern China based on local circumstances, according to the draft report.