Poverty Alleviation of State Tobacco Monopoly Administration

【Overview】 In 2010, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) continued to uphold the tenet of supporting the real poor, highlighted the improvement of people's livelihood and economic development and focused on infrastructure construction. In order to help the masses increase income, shake off poverty and become rich, it implemented road and bridge construction projects, poverty alleviation by education, health care and industrial development, poverty relief relocation, poverty reduction by science and technology and key village construction projects, making new contributions to the poverty reduction and economic and social development of Yunxi County and Zhuxi County of Hubei Province.

【Special anti-poverty funds】 In 2010, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration continued to strengthen investigation and research to solve the most urgent and practical problems directly related to people’s interests based on actual situation. It invested more than 9 million Yuan of anti-poverty fund, including 6 million Yuan for the construction of five categories of 46 conventional projects that benefited more than 80,000 people of 59 villages in Yunxi and Zhuxi County. 2 million Yuan was invested in key village construction. Meanwhile, 600,000 Yuan of disaster relief fund was issued for the disaster-affected people in the flood occurred in the summer of 2010 to tide over difficulties through self-help production, rehabilitation of infrastructure and rebuilding homes. In addition, 400,000 Yuan was invested to open self-improvement classes in the two counties’ middle schools, which solved the living expense problem of excellent students.

In 2010, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration issued 5.063 million Yuan of smoke water matching funds in Yunxi and Zhuxi County, including 3.393 million Yuan for Yunxi County to construct 8 impounding reservoirs of 3,000 cubic meters, 9 dams, 9 filtering ponds, 4 vacuum pools and pave irrigation and drinking water pipelines of 82 kilometers, and 1.67 million Yuan for Zhuxi County to build four reservoirs of 4,500 cubic meters and pave pipelines of 32.6 kilometers. First, it increased the benefits for tobacco industry. Tobacco industry has become a backbone project for rural economic development and the growth of farmers' income and fiscal revenue. Second, it accelerated the pace of agricultural construction of modern tobacco industry. Tobacco production infrastructure construction has effectively promoted the transformation of tobacco production from traditional agriculture to modern tobacco agriculture, playing a leading and demonstration role. The continuous improvement of infrastructure for the production, purchase and transportation in tobacco-growing areas has improved the level of standardization and the degree of intensification of tobacco production and enhanced the overall quality of tobacco. The goal of “reducing workers and costs and improving quality and efficiency” has been basically achieved.

【Entire village advancement】  In accordance with the requirements of the State Council Leading Group of Poverty Alleviation and Development, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration actively implemented the “three guarantee” task. From 2008 to the end of 2010, it invested a total of 6 million Yuan in 12 impoverished villages for infrastructure construction, industrial development, improvement of living conditions and development of social undertakings. Through the implementation of entire village advancement projects, these poor villages’ infrastructure has been significantly improved, economy and society has shown a new look and the income level of villagers has been enhanced to some extent.

【Field research for poverty alleviation】 From November 22 to 26, 2010, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration conducted field research on the implementation of anti-poverty projects and entire village advancement of “three guarantee” villages in poor mountain areas of Shiyan City, Hubei Province, held talks with the leaders of the two counties, listened to the leaders’ reports on the poverty status and planning for economic development, expressed sympathy and solicitude for the poor, conducted in-depth survey on the construction of school and village roads, biogas digesters and other infrastructure as well as the situation of industrial development, and explored anti-poverty work plans and project implementation plans with relevant comrades of the two counties’ poverty alleviation offices.

【Personnel exchanges】 Since the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration began to send high-quality, capable, excellent cadres with good working style to support anti-poverty work in poor counties in 1997, 23 young excellent cadres have been successively sent to Shiyan to struggle together with the poor through thick and thin, give instructions on anti-poverty work and participate in poverty reduction. These comrades overcame many difficulties such as family life, worked hard in the poor areas with highly responsible work attitude and great love for the poor and made a positive contribution to the poverty reduction of mountain areas, widely praised by local cadres and the masses. Through field research and practice, these comrades accumulated abundant experience in grass-roots work, had a better understanding of the rural situation, built up profound friendship with the masses and enhanced their overall capability.

【Measures】 To ensure the organized, effective, step-by-step poverty alleviation with good leadership, after it started fixed-point poverty reduction, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration set up a leading group for poverty alleviation and development with Vice Chairman Zhang Baozhen as the head, and set up an office under the leading group. Full-time officials were arranged to take charge of the organization, coordination and implementation of anti-poverty work. Taking fixed-point poverty alleviation as an important task, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration seriously assigned responsibilities, implemented relevant projects, allocated the anti-poverty funds, made overall arrangements and organized inspections and assessments of the anti-poverty work and other related work. The leaders insisted on listing to the working reports of the aided counties - Yunxi and Zhuxi County every year and strived to address practical difficulties and problems to promote the effective poverty alleviation. At the same time, it resolutely obeyed the arrangements of the State Council Leading Group of Poverty Alleviation and Development on anti-poverty work and timely reported to LGOP about the work and work plan as required.