The issue of poverty remains an obstacle in China’s development despite rapid economic growth in the past two decades. (Photo : Reuters)
China has 92 million poor citizens and 128,000 poverty-stricken villages, according to the poverty alleviation and development group of the State Council.
Liu Yongfu, head of the group, said on Saturday that while the country has been successful in significantly reducing poverty, China still has 832 poor districts and counties, said a report by Women of China.
In its campaign on poverty reduction, the government sent 116,000 teams with 466,000 cadres to poor communities, Liu said during a seminar in Hubei Province in central China.
"Almost all underprivileged households have a cadre responsible for poverty alleviation work," the official said.
National Tourism Administration head Li Jinzao, who was also present during the seminar, said that the country's tourism programs have helped elevate the economic status of more than 8 million people and brought them out of poverty.
Liu, meanwhile, said that more efforts should be exerted toward the improvement of the lives of poor people, specifically in the areas of housing, education and finance.
The official also said that in 2015 500 impoverished villages will be assisted economically by means of the tourism industry.
The central government is aiming for growths in GDP as well as increasing per capita income by 100 percent by 2020 to further address poverty.
