Sichuan works tirelessly to complete anti-poverty relocation goals before June's end

The Sichuan government has requested that all of the anti-poverty relocation projects involving infrastructure, housing, and water safety that are planned or currently underway in the province be completed by June 30. As of May 27, according to the province’s office in charge of poverty alleviation, there are only 75 impoverished households left and needing to resettle to more prosperous areas and improvements need to be completed on just 411 people's homes. 

“We are currently working on interior and exterior decoration and utility connections at the new homes that the families that need to relocate will live in,” the Butuo county magistrate mentioned. All the 75 households are from the county that he works in. Poverty eradication staff and related employees have been laboring 24 hours a day on various shifts in order to ensure that tasks are completed on schedule.

The provincial government has adopted various measures to accelerate and supervise the poverty elimination work in Liangshan prefecture, and organized special work groups for six key priorities, including relocation. As of May 26, 259 out of 301 resettlement communities had been accomplished in the prefecture, and the remaining 42 are still under construction. Three hundred thirty-four of 513 rural water supply projects have been completed, and progress is being made on the rest; the overall undertaking is 90 percent finished.

Sichuan also actively encourages businesses and various institutions to support poverty alleviation efforts. Ninety-three social organizations and 188 enterprises have participated in a pairing system that covers all of the 299 impoverished villages in Liangshan and had invested 21 million yuan (US$2.97 million) into projects that help to reduce poverty as of May 29.

“This factory has completed 200,000 orders this month, which means that we will get a bonus,” impoverished textile mill employee Jishi Luobu recently stated while making a t-shirt with 80 sewing machines humming in the background. He was working on the second floor of the factory that was established for poverty reduction purposes in Yangdianer village, Xuekoushan township, Mabian county. Many of China’s poverty-stricken migrant workers were heavily affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, but the situation has gradually been returning to normal. About 2 million impoverished people are currently working in Sichuan as of May 27, which is 100.51 percent of the total number of migrant laborers who were working in the province at the end of 2019. All of the leading companies that are involved with poverty alleviation efforts in Sichuan have resumed production, which has made it possible for more than 30,000 impoverished employees to go back to work. Of 631 factories that were established for poverty reduction purposes, 594 have come back online, which makes it possible for 8,037 impoverished people to work.

“Next we’ll continue to address water safety and ensure that impoverished citizens have safe housing,” an official in charge of Sichuan’s poverty alleviation office noted. Education, healthcare, and housing are known as the “three guarantees” that China strives to provide as part of its poverty reduction efforts. The official mentioned that compulsory education and basic healthcare services have methodically been made available for impoverished households and that water safety problems have mostly been solved, but that housing safety issues have not been fully addressed yet. As of May 27, there were still 17 impoverished families in Liangshan whose homes need to be improved in Liangshan.