People with extreme difficulties will be receiving improved support from the Chinese government after the State Council released a guideline on how assistance should be extended to this sector, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
According to the guideline, the beneficiaries will include people who are not capable of supporting themselves, such as senior citizens, people with physical disabilities, and minors under the age of 13 whose caregivers are not capable.
Official data shows that there are more than 5.8 million people who belong in this populace.
Zuo Ting, professor at China Agricultural University, pointed out the importance of extending aid to this group of people.
"Without sources of income or the ability to work, basic care from family, and fitness, these people are indeed the neediest in our society today," Zuo said.
Zuo also lauded the State Council-issued guideline, saying that it helped in aligning the average of the support system across provinces in China. He cited that previously, children with difficulties living in Hunan Province were not included in the system's beneficiaries.
The guideline said that the support system aims to reach out to more people by resolving their concerns and providing their basic needs.
Additionally, the guideline elaborated that the support will be given in the form of daily necessities and basic care services. It also highlighted the importance of establishing institutions with ample amount of resources to continually cater to the needs of the said groups.
The Xinhua article noted that currently, less than one-third of this sector are being taken care of by such institutions, while the rest still live at home, oftentimes alone.
To enhance the system's effectiveness, local governments were also tapped to give more attention to the concerns of the people with extreme difficulties, encouraging them to give more charity donations and provide more voluntary services.
This latest initiative of the national government is part of its intensified efforts to eradicate poverty and establish a prosperous society.