The leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Monday
discussed plans to help the needy people in China manage difficult
times in both their life and work.
Addressing a meeting on reducing poverty and helping the needy,
Jiang Zemin, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, called
on leading officials at all levels to do more for people in need,
to consolidate the Party's leading position, promote social and
economic development and safeguard social stability.
Attending the meeting were Jiang, and the other members of the
Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central
Committee -- Li Peng, Zhu Rongji, Li Ruihuan, Hu Jintao, Wei
Jianxing and Li Lanqing.
The leaders recognized that it is not an easy task to help
impoverished people cope with difficulties in daily life and
work.
There are 30 million people still living in poverty in rural China
and a significant number of laid-off workers from State-owned firms
in urban China despite China's rapid economic growth, rising
standard of living and its marked progress in the anti-poverty
campaign of the past decade.
Most of the 30 million poor people live in remote areas with harsh
natural conditions where it remains a backbreaking job just to
produce enough to eat and wear. The areas are often former
revolutionary bases in war years and are inhabited by ethnic
minority groups.
The leaders held that to help the poor is a top priority in the
modernization drive which concerns the overall situation.
The meeting called on governments at all levels to carry out all
the policies and measures designed to help poor people in both
rural and urban areas, including those of anti-poverty development,
disaster control and relief, basic life allowance for laid-off
workers from State-owned firms and reemployment.
The meeting also urged Party committees and governments at all
levels to take all necessary measures to ensure the impoverished in
China have a happy lunar Chinese New Year, the most important
traditional festival in China which falls on February 12.
All sectors of society, including non-communist parties,
non-governmental organizations, businesses, institutions, colleges
and universities and the armed forces, were urged by the leadership
to participate in anti-poverty activities, and to cultivate the
custom of helping the poor in a lasting drive to eliminate
poverty.
The meeting also called on the Party to regard the job of helping
the poor people as one of the important ways to improve the Party's
work style, closely linking the task of improving the style with
helping the people in need.
During the meeting, officials in charge of the country's poverty
alleviation organization and labor and social security departments
briefed the Party leaders on their work of helping the poor
people.
(Xinhua News
Agency February 5, 2002)