Poverty Alleviation and Development in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

　　【Overview】In 2011, Xinjiang earnestly implemented the spirit of the central work conference on poverty alleviation and development. In accordance with the requirements of the “Outline for Development-oriented Poverty Reduction for China’s Rural Areas (2011-2020)” and the deployments of the region’s party committee on the “Livelihood Development Year”, taking providing adequate food and clothing for the poor as the primary task, taking the three prefectures in south Xinjiang, border areas and impoverished mountain areas as the main battlefield for poverty reduction, focusing on special poverty alleviation, industrial poverty alleviation, social poverty alleviation and counterpart support for the poverty alleviation in Xinjiang, it concentrated advantageous poverty relief resources, increased efforts on poverty alleviation and development, gave priority to “seven kinds of projects” (quality animal husbandry, quality forestry and fruit industry, courtyard economy, facility agriculture, water-saving irrigation, transformation of low-yield farmland and handicraft industry with local ethnic characteristics), mainly solved the development problem of poverty-stricken areas to effectively improve the basic production and living conditions of poor areas and enhance the quality of the poor, implemented a number of livelihood projects involving education, health, culture, employment and social security, promoted the construction of key livelihood projects for poverty reduction and achieved new results and made important progress in the field of poverty alleviation and development, achieving “five breakthroughs”: First, the total amount of positive financial funds exceeded 1.2 billion Yuan, reaching 1.207 billion Yuan, with an increase of 39% over the previous year; Second, it reduced low-income rural population by 260,000, overfulfiling the scheduled task (250,000); Third, it implemented entire village advancement projects in 441 impoverished villages, overfulfiling the scheduled task (373 villages); Fourth, it organized trainings on poverty alleviation for 160,000 person-times, overfulfiling the scheduled task; Fifth, per capita net income of the farmers in key counties for poverty alleviation and development exceeded 4000 Yuan, reaching 4088 Yuan, with an increase of 544 Yuan over the previous year.

　　【Entire village advancement】In 2011, according to the standards of “five accesses and ten possessions” for entire village advancement of the state, Xinjiang developed the planning for poverty alleviation by entire village advancement and put forward that the impoverished villages are expected to achieve “nine accesses” (access to water, electricity, road, telephone line, broadcasting and TV program, information, heating system, postal service and regular buses) and “nine possessions” (possess offices, strong leadership, income-generating industries, collective economic revenue, rubbish disposal venues, cultural rooms, clinics, bilingual pre-school education, cultural and sports activity centers and agriculture-benefiting supermarkets) and the aided households are expected to achieve “nine accesses” (access to safe drinking water, electricity, heating facility, housing, sanitary latrines, clean energy, pre-school education, basic social security, training and access to information).

　　In 2011, Xinjiang implemented the entire village advancement projects in 441 poor villages, including 280 covered by the national entire village advancement program. More than one million Yuan of financial anti-poverty funds was invested in the impoverished villages covered by the planning. It integrated the funds according to the ratio of 1:2, 1:3 and 1:5 respectively for comprehensive projects, poor village projects of mountain areas and border pilot projects, and put in a total of 1.56536 billion Yuan in the poverty-stricken villages involved, averagely more than 4 million Yuan for each village.

　　【Industrial poverty alleviation】 In 2011, taking industrialization poverty alleviation as the fundamental measure for poverty alleviation and development, focusing on supporting competitive featured industries, industrial bases and leading enterprises and strengthening interest linkage, giving priority to the agricultural industrialization of impoverished regions, Xinjiang increased support for poverty alleviation leading enterprises, gave full play to the important role of poverty alleviation leading enterprises in cultivating and developing featured, competitive, leading industries in poor areas, attracting poor labors and increasing the income of the poor, and developed 133 poverty alleviation leading enterprises with business scope covering the planting, breeding, processing, storage and marketing of agricultural and forestry products, cultivating a number of brand names and leading industries, effectively promoting the adjustment of economic structure and the enhancement of business operation level of poor areas, promoting the employment transfer and income growth of poor farmers and herdsmen. The national and regional poverty alleviation leading enterprises in Xinjiang obtained a total of 974.28 million Yuan of poverty-relief loans and 36.61 million Yuan of discount funds, of which 28.61 million Yuan was from Xinjiang government. The leading enterprises receiving loans are scattered in 2230 impoverished villages and the program benefited 700,000 poverty-stricken people.

　　【Rain Plan】 In 2011, Xinjiang invested 40 million Yuan of financial funds for poverty alleviation trainings, with an increase of 10 million Yuan over 2010, up 33.33%, organized trainings of cadres and people from poor regions for a total of 323,700 person-times, including agricultural practical technical trainings for 252,000 person-times, employment transfer trainings for 63,000 people, poverty alleviation management trainings for 7700 people (including 4500 talents urgently needed by agricultural industrialization and 3200 poverty alleviation cadres) and trainings of junior and senior middle school graduates for 1000 people, and successfully transferred 52,000 labors. It vigorously promoted the poverty alleviation training work according to the requirements of “one target, two objectives, three key areas, four types of trainings and five combinations”. One target: Taking full advantage of the results of effective convergence of “two systems”, target at the registered rural poor aged 16-45, especially the junior and senior middle school graduates of needy families in training. Two objectives: To improve the comprehensive quality of the poor, enhance the self-development capacity and cultivate new types of farmers and industrialized workers; to promote the construction of a new socialist countryside and achieve the win-win situation for human resource development to promote natural resource development. Three key areas: Three prefectures in south Xinjiang, border areas, 290 poor mountain villages and key counties for poverty alleviation and development. Four types of trainings: First, vocational technical training for poor labors and children from needy families; second, agricultural practical technical training for rural left-behind poor labors; third, training of poverty alleviation cadres; fourth, training of talents urgently needed by agricultural industrialization. Five combinations: Combination of training and the poverty alleviation training planning for the "12th Five-Year Plan" period, annual financial poverty alleviation project planning, annual plan for lifting the rural poor out of poverty, annual plan for entire village advancement of poor villages and local industrial development, giving priority to 299 poor mountainous villages and border impoverished villages. Project were not launched until trainings were organized. Training provided technical support for the financial anti-poverty projects and technical services made a contribution to the anti-poverty work.

　　【Social poverty alleviation】In 2011, a total of 6,491 units of the central, regional, prefecture and county (city) governments were involved in the fixed-point poverty alleviation in Xinjiang, of which: 12 were central units, 285 were regional units, 1,060 were prefectural units and 5,134 were county (city)-level units. A total of 4993 poverty relief cadres were sent to the poor villages, 47,542 people carried out field research and a total of 428 million Yuan of anti-poverty funds were issued in kind and cash, including 227 million Yuan in cash, 45 million Yuan in kind, 148 million Yuan of invited funds and 8.5 million Yuan of development funds for village-level collective economy. It invited 1038 poverty relief projects, 41 enterprises and 333 talents for the region, subsidized 4,735 poor students, built 16,359 houses, 55 village-level offices, 61 science and technology culture chambers, 76 village clinics and 42 schools, and held 6,324 trainings for 205,458 people.

　　In 2011, the six central aiding units in Xinjiang invested a total of 100.055 million Yuan of anti-poverty funds and materials (98.785 million Yuan of funds and 1.27 million Yuan of materials), 60.075 million Yuan more than that of 2010, up 128%. The autonomous region, prefecture and county (city)-level units put in a total of 328 million Yuan, including 128.66 million Yuan in cash and 43.49 million Yuan in kind, and coordinated the introduction of anti-poverty funds of 147.74 million Yuan and development funds of 8.2 million Yuan for village-level collective economy.

　　【Pilot poverty alleviation projects in border areas】 In 2011, Xinjiang implemented 162 pilot projects covered by 2010 and 2011 planning, arranged pilot project funds of 340 million Yuan. The pilot poverty alleviation projects in border areas were implemented to improve people’s livelihoods. With the projects of “enriching the people with safe housing” and “boosting the development of animal husbandry industry by resettlement” as the carrier, paying equal attention to housing construction and income growth by industrial development for border residents, through the layout of “three lines” for linkage development and overall promotion, it significantly improved the basic production and living conditions of border areas, boosted the development of basic industries for income growth, improved the basic social public services, constantly enhanced the consciousness of garrisoning the frontiers of the border residents and strengthened the capacity of garrisoning the frontiers.

　　Overfulfil the poverty reduction task. Based on the poverty line of 1500 Yuan of per capita net income of farmers and herdsmen, in 2011, in fact, 17,000 households and 72,000 people (including 13,000 households and 58,000 people in the frontiers) in Xinjiang lived above the standard for low-income residents, accounting for 27.4% and 27.7% of the total, and Xinjiang completed 105% and 106% of the task respectively.

　　Income of farmers and herdsmen witnessed rapid growth. In 2011, per capita net income of the farmers and herdsmen in the 17 key counties (cities) for border poverty reduction in Xinjiang reached 3973 Yuan, 450 Yuan more than that of 2010 (3523 Yuan), up 12.8%.

　　The county economy witnessed healthy development. In 2011, the GDP of the 17 key counties (cities) for border poverty reduction in Xinjiang reached 27.21 billion Yuan, up 16.6%.

　　The production and living conditions were significantly improved. In 2011, Xinjiang solved the water problem of 25 poor villages and the electricity problem of 26 impoverished villages, built asphalt roads for 25 poor villages and provided telephone lines for 16 poor villages, broadcasting and TV programs for 13 poor villages, information access to 11 poor villages, heating facilities for 11 poor villages, and regular buses for 16 poor villages as well. The infrastructure conditions were significantly improved.

　　Continuous progress was made in social undertakings. In 2011, in the 17 key counties (cities) for border poverty reduction in Xinjiang, 12 poor villages were equipped with cultural rooms, 17 poor villages were equipped with clinics, 12 impoverished villages were equipped with bilingual pre-school kindergartens, 17 poor villages were equipped with cultural and sports venues and 133 villages were equipped with village-level activity centers.

　　The quality of border residents was further improved. In 2011, the enrollment rate of the bilingual kindergartens in poor border areas rose from 32.6% in 2010 to 39.5%, the enrollment rate of senior middle schools increased from 21.7% to 36.7%, the proportion of senior middle school graduates in the rural residents rose from 11% to 15%, and the popularizing rate of the nine-year compulsory education gradually increased.

　　Industries provided stronger support for income growth. In 2011, Xinjiang increased walnut, pomegranate, jujube and other economic fruit area of ​​51,681 mu, grafting area of 40,068 mu, 3849 facility agricultural greenhouses, 2617 heads of livestock and 35565 small domestic animals for breeding, built 261 silos and 1908 pens, set up 55 cooperative organizations and purchased 570 carpet racks to develop ethnic handicraft industry, gradually cultivating a number of advantageous leading industries with local characteristics, ethnic features and strong competitiveness, creating conditions for the income growth of border residents.

　　【Pilot work of contiguous development】In 2011, Xinjiang implemented pilot projects of centralized contiguous development in five prefectures and eight counties, issued 50 million Yuan of funds (of which: 30 million Yuan as central financial anti-poverty funds and 20 million Yuan was regional financial anti-poverty funds) and coordinated the investment of 489.56 million Yuan for the project construction, implemented a number of livelihood construction projects, covering infrastructure construction, living environment improvement, development of production, basic education and new cooperative medical service. As a result, the economic development of pilot areas was accelerated, the infrastructure was significantly improved and the living standards of people were significantly enhanced.

　　【Pilot poverty alleviation projects in mountain areas】In 2011, based on the distribution characteristics of the rural poor, Xinjiang carried out the pilot work of poverty reduction in mountain areas, identified 299 poverty-stricken villages in mountain areas of 141 towns in 47 counties of Kunlun Mountain area, Tianshan Mountain and the Altai Mountains according to the conditions of altitude of 1500 meters or above, frost-free period of less than 140 days, average annual temperature below 9 degrees, per capita income of less than 3,000 Yuan and the production and living conditions, developed 299 poverty alleviation plans for poor villages in mountain areas and arranged 265.76 million Yuan of financial anti-poverty funds that year (not including the funds for poverty alleviation by science and technology and technology training funds) to implement nine major projects in 299 impoverished villages, covering modern animal husbandry, farming with local characteristics, handicrafts with local characteristics, housing construction, infrastructure construction, energy construction, development of tourism resources, protection of ecological resources and human resources training.

　　【Off-site relocation for poverty alleviation】In 2011, Xinjiang allocated 158.27 million Yuan of financial anti-poverty funds for ex-situ anti-poverty relocation (of which 68.32 million Yuan was from the central government, 12.54 was from the region’s government, 36.85 million Yuan was integrated department funds and 40.56 million Yuan was other funds), covering 833 households and 3415 people. After the ex-situ anti-poverty relocation, a few major development zones were set up in Xinjiang, including the Tajike Abati Town Development Zone of Taxkorgan County in Kashi, Laoqilang Development Zone of Keping County in Akesu, Yushanku Xihalaqi Development Zone of Aheqi County in Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, Huangtuchang Development Zone of Balikun County in Hami, Zhuomaohu Development Zone of Yiwu County, Yawulong Development Zone of Hami City, Yulong New Village and Aka New Village Demonstration Zone of Cele County in Hetian, Chahete Development Zone of Tacheng and Hoboksar Mongolian Autonomous County, and Qiganjidie Development Zone of Fuhai County in Aletai, etc.

　　【Pilot project of village-level mutual funds】In 2011, in accordance with the principle of "being owned, used, managed and enjoyed by the people", Xinjiang continue to further promote the pilot work of mutual funds to alleviate the fund shortage and loan problem for the poor villages and impoverished households to develop production and further enhance the self-development capacity of the poor. With increasingly prominent effects, the project was welcomed by the poor. As of the end of 2011, the pilot projects covered 407 poor villages and 65700 rural households of all the key counties (cities) of Xinjiang, and the pilot project funds amounted to 87.51 million Yuan (including 30 million Yuan from the central government, 31.4 million Yuan from the region’s government and 25.51 million Yuan from the rural households). A total of 124 million Yuan of loans was issued and 100% of the loans were repaid. The mutual funds’ turnover rate reached 160%.

　　【Foreign-funded poverty alleviation】 In 2011, Xinjiang further strengthened the cooperation with foreign governments and international organizations in poverty alleviation projects, actively developed new channels of poverty alleviation and development, learned from aid projects and introduced international advanced technology and experience to promote the economic development of the poor areas of Xinjiang. In 2011, it invited foreign investment of 122 million Yuan or so, of which 120 million Yuan was put in the IFAD projects, and the projects covered 431 villages (including 387 poor villages), benefited 109,064 farmers and held practical trainings for 9,423 person-times; 920,000 Yuan of foreign funds was invested in the Jiaji Water-saving Project of Wensu County, which covered one poor village and benefited 1,147 rural households, and 311,800 Yuan of foreign funds was invested in Hongliu Carbon Emission Transaction Project.

　　【Poverty alleviation subsidized loans】 In 2011, Xinjiang actually issued anti-poverty discount loans of 1.857 billion Yuan, 240 million Yuan more than that of the previous year, of which 878 million Yuan was issued to households in 68 counties (cities) by financial institutions and 28 million Yuan of discount funds was arranged (including 10 million Yuan of discount funds allocated by the region’s government). The anti-poverty loan program covered 3325 impoverished villages and 188,000 poor households received loans, averagely 4668 Yuan per household. Poverty alleviation leading enterprises actually issued 979.28 million Yuan of loans by various kinds of financial institutions and arranged a total of 36.61 million Yuan of discount funds (including 28.61 million Yuan from the region’s government), covering 2230 impoverished villages and benefiting 700,000 poor people. The poverty alleviation leading enterprises played a leading role in poverty reduction and the program had an increasing positive effect.

　　【Management of anti-poverty funds】 In 2011, a total of  1.67297 billion Yuan of financial anti-poverty funds was issued to Xinjiang, of which 146.497 million Yuan (including 998.87 million Yuan of production development funds, 192 million Yuan of work-relief funds and 274.1 million Yuan of minority development funds) was from the central government, 208 million Yuan was issued by the autonomous region to support the construction of 2.272 poverty relief projects. The funds were mainly used to increase the income of the poor and improve the basic production and living conditions of poor rural areas. 857.52 million Yuan was used to support industrial development, accounting for 51.25% of the total; 594.29 million Yuan was for infrastructure construction, accounting for 35.52%; and 221.16 million Yuan was for other purposes, accounting for 13.23%. 1.28818 billion Yuan of financial anti-poverty funds was issued to 27 national key counties (cities) for poverty alleviation and development, accounting for 77% of the total, 1.17442 billion Yuan was invested to support the development of the three prefectures in south Xinjiang, accounting for 70.2%, and 1.47221 billion Yuan was directly invested in poor villages, accounting for 88%.

　　【Investigation of the objects of poverty reduction】 In 2011, based on the poverty line of 2300 Yuan, Xinjiang conducted a comprehensive survey on the objects of rural poverty reduction in the region and identified 780,000 poor households and 3.29 million poverty-stricken people, accounting for 31% of the total rural residents, including 680,000 households and 2.9 million people from 35 key counties (cities) for poverty alleviation, accounting for 53% of the total rural residents of the key counties (cities), 630,000 households and 2.66 million people from the three prefectures of south Xinjiang, accounting for 55% of the total local rural residents and 81% of the total poor of Xinjiang; 220,000 households and 940,000 people from 17 key counties (cities) for border poverty reduction, accounting for 32% of the poor in the key counties (cities); and 100,000 households and 400,000 people from 44 non-key counties (cities), accounting for 8% of the total local rural residents.