Changsha to boost bonus to students for military service

The government of Changsha, Central China’s Hunan Province, has announced it will give a one- off signing bonus of 20,000 yuan ($ 2,952) to each college graduate who serves a stint in the military in either Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region or Southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.

Previously, the bonus was 10,000 yuan in Changsha. The new standard will take effect on August 1 and will be distributed to students before they are sent for military training, news portal thepaper. cn reported Sunday, citing a Changsha government notice.

The bonus for other college students who sign up for military service is 15,000 yuan, and it will be handed over within three to 12 months after they began their service, said the notice. Students who sign up will also be given travel allowances ranging from 500 to 3,000 yuan.

College students are given incentives to serve in the military, even if they have not graduated, and when their term of service is over, they can return to their studies, and will benefit from preferential policies, including having fees paid or having priority for postgraduate programs. Students that sign up serve as regular rank and file troops.

The notice also states that priority should be given to retired soldiers when Changsha government recruits police officers and for vacancies at State- owned enterprises.

To encourage young people to serve in remote regions like Xinjiang and Tibet, the Chinese government gives 5,000 yuan per year to soldiers from urban areas as a pension. And to those from rural areas, the pension is two times that of those who do not serve in remote areas, according to the Xinhua News Agency.