Poverty Alleviation and Development in Chongqing

　　【Overview】In 2011, under the principle of people's livelihood-oriented development, targeting at the poor for contiguous development, focusing on the infrastructure construction, industrial development, poverty alleviation relocation, training for labor transfer, entrepreneurship, employment and social assistance, starting from entire village advancement, to achieve the goal of income growth of ten thousand Yuan of farmers in the “Two Wing” areas, Chongqing concentrated on the development of rural tourism in impoverished villages and the expansion of area for social poverty alleviation, and comprehensively achieved the annual objectives. In 2011, the city invested a total of 1.336 billion Yuan of financial anti-poverty funds, of which 1.8 billion Yuan was for social poverty alleviation and 2 billion Yuan was credit poverty alleviation fund. It lifted 450 poor villages out of poverty, relocated 89,000 people, built and repaired village highroads of 5100 km, solved the safe drinking water problem of 210,000 people, organized labor employment trainings for 100,000 people, transferred the employments of 20,000 people and helped 5,000 people launch their own businesses. In the whole year, it reduced the number of poverty-stricken people by 290,000, boosting the economic and social development of poor areas, promoting the rural social harmony and improving the happiness index of the people.

　　【Industrial poverty alleviation】 In 2011, Chongqing successfully cultivated anti-poverty tourism industry, made full use of the rich tourism resources, integrated anti-poverty funds of 300 million Yuan to launch pilot projects in 100 impoverished villages and 6000 poor households of 17 key counties and districts, directly increased 100,000 beds and provided support for the increase of 300,000 beds. It spent two months in organizing 1 million people to go to the countryside for relaxation, increasing the income of farmers by 1 billion Yuan, 15,000 Yuan per household, and completed the task of income growth of ten thousand Yan per household in the pilot area. Meanwhile, it vigorously implemented the project to increase farmers’ income by 10,000 Yuan, allocated 130 million Yuan of special funds for industrial development and 19.1 million Yuan of microfinance discount funds and, starting from “mutual promotion of entire village poverty alleviation and income growth of ten thousand Yuan”, took effective measures to develop ten backbone industries for poverty alleviation.

　　【Entire village advancement】  In 2011, Chongqing issued 133 million Yuan of funds to consolidate the poverty alleviation achievements made in the first batch of 266 villages launched in 2009 and issued the award and subsidy fund of 500,000 Yuan for each village. It conducted examination and acceptance of the projects launched in 450 poor villages in 2010 and all the villages reached the poverty reduction standard of “seven possessions, four accesses and three solutions” and shook off poverty. It invested financial anti-poverty funds of 225 million Yuan and integrated 1.84 billion Yuan of funds to launch the third batch of entire village poverty reduction projects in 450 impoverished villages. At the same time, it launched the pilot projects of entire town poverty reduction in Muliang Town of Nanchuan District and all the towns suitable for living in Youyang County, promoting the contiguous development and poverty reduction in the contiguous poor areas with particular difficulties.

　　【Poverty relief relocation】  In 2011, with 150 million Yuan of financial anti-poverty funds and 336 million Yuan of work-relief funds and the funds for consolidating the results of returning farmland to forest, through taking the policy measures of territorial management and household registration system reform, Chongqing expanded the coverage of entire village advancement, raised the subsidy standard for poverty-stricken rural households, encouraged the farmers in high mountain and gorge areas to move out on a voluntary basis, promoted the poverty-relief relocation, ecological relocation, construction of small towns, renovation of folk houses in the city and gradually eliminate the natural villages and scattered rural households in remote areas. The “Rain Plan” trained and guided farmers to work in the city, organized entrepreneurship and technical trainings for 16,000 people, transferred 20,000 labors for the emerging electronic industry. In addition, it organized practical technical trainings for 63,000 people and policy business trainings for 5200 people, improving the quality of personnel in poor areas and boosting the economic development.

　　【Inviting investment for poverty reduction】 In 2011, a total of 1.8 billion Yuan of social funds was directly issued to the poverty-stricken regions of Chongqing, 440 million Yuan more and 30% up over 2010. On the signing ceremony of Shandong-Chongqing Poverty Alleviation Cooperation and Economic and Trade Cooperation, more than 80 cooperative projects were signed with contract value of 42.9 billion Yuan, and 3.5 billion Yuan was invested, nearly one billion Yuan more and 40% up over 2010.

　　【Painting and calligraphy bazaar for poverty reduction】 On October 17, 2011, in memory of the 19th "International Day for the Eradication of Poverty", for the first time, Chongqing organized the painting and calligraphy bazaar activity of “Helping the Poor and Enriching Our Home” and raised more than 8.6 million Yuan to support the poor rural areas and poverty-stricken people in 18 key counties of the city.

　　【Group poverty alleviation】 In 2011, 19 poverty alleviation groups in Chongqing City invested a total of more than 300 million Yuan for the poverty alleviation contracted by a number of groups. Social groups provided support for a new situation. The Municipal Poverty Alleviation and Development Association, the Municipal Poverty Alleviation Foundation, the Center for Promotion of Construction of Old Revolutionary Base Areas and Chongqing Wheat Foundation for Poverty Alleviation jointly raised more than 40 million Yuan of social funds for the poor regions.

　　【Rural financial support】 In 2011, Chongqing City comprehensively promoted the development of mutual fund organizations. According to the requirements of “increasing investment, expanding coverage, strengthening supervision and standardizing development”, it allocated 80 million Yuan of special anti-poverty funds, averagely 150,000 -300,000 Yuan per village, launched the pilot projects of mutual funds in 455 poor villages, actively encouraged the poor to join in mutual aid society, provided financial support for the poor to develop industries and solved their urgent problems. At present, the city has launched pilot projects of mutual funds in 1150 villages, implemented the pilot project of competing for mutual funds for poor villages in Fuling District and launched the pilot project of software management for mutual funds in three districts and counties, namely Kai County, Wulong and Fuling, accumulating experience for the development of the mutual funds in the whole city.

　　【Management of anti-poverty funds】  In 2011, Chongqing City carried out “three actions” and mainly conducted follow-up supervision on the use of entire village poverty reduction funds, poverty-relief relocation funds and Rain Plan funds to ensure the openness and transparency of the use of anti-poverty funds. It carried out a large-scale special inspection activity to solve the outstanding problems of occupying employment and training funds, and organized concentrated trainings of volunteer supervisors on the poverty alleviation in 350 villages, enhancing the business level of the volunteer supervisors and giving full play to the supervising role of these people in the use of anti-poverty funds and the project construction.

　　【Poverty alleviation publicity】 In 2011, Chongqing participated in the “Exhibition on China’s Poverty Reduction Achievements in the New Century” and comprehensively displayed its achievements in the field of poverty alleviation and development. In the activity on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, the Xinhua News Agency, Chongqing TV and Chongqing Daily all reported Chongqing’s experience in poverty alleviation. Meanwhile, the city carried out the first activity of Selection of Top Ten Characters for Poverty Reduction in the city. Through reporting the moving stories of models, it vigorously publicized the social moral of helping the poor, mobilized the enthusiasm of all circles of society to participate in the poverty alleviation and guided more forces to devote to the cause of poverty reduction.