Lijiang moves ahead on local poverty relief

Lijiang's government work report of 2018 says that the city aims to pull 56 villages out of poverty and help 23,000 poor rural residents escape impoverishment this year.

Mayor Zheng Yi released the government work report at Lijiang’s first session of the Fourth People's Congress on Feb 2.

Lijiang's first session of the Fourth People's Congress is held on Feb 2. [Photo by Li Ning/xinhuanet.com]

According to the report, Lijiang has put lots of efforts into the issue over the past five years, bringing 38 villages and 26,000 people out of poverty. The government has invested a total of 3.67 billion yuan ($584 million yuan) to benefit 96,700 locals, with the poverty rate falling to 8.11 percent.

In 2018, Lijiang will allocate 30 million yuan of special funds for poverty alleviation, an increase of 66.7 percent. The city will integrate the financial agriculture-related funds and make sure the level of investment for poverty relief is not less than 30 percent.

Zheng Yi, mayor of the city, released the government work report at Lijiang's first session of the Fourth People's Congress on Feb 2. [Photo by He Yanhong/xinhuanet.com]

It is expected that Yongsheng county will be out of poverty in 2019 and Ninglang county in 2020.

Lijiang will also make good use of policies on poverty alleviation and increase financial support. For example, loans and guarantee funds will be set up in local villages and counties.

Representatives from local ethnic groups attend the meeting. [Photo by He Yanhong/xinhuanet.com]