Priorities: Rural fixes, poverty war

Leadership vows to bring farmers sense of gain, happiness, security

China has mapped out plans for rural vitalization and poverty relief in the next few years to give the people more of a sense of gain, the top leadership of the Communist Party of China decided at a meeting on Thursday.

The meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, chaired by General Secretary Xi Jinping, reviewed a blueprint of the rural vitalization strategy (2018-22) and another guideline of the threeyear action plan on winning the battle against poverty.

According to a statement released after the meeting, farmers will be given more sense of gain, happiness and security as the rural vitalization strategy is carried out. Giving the people more sense of gain will also be the priority as the country seeks to lift 30 million people still mired in poverty during the next three years.

To make the development of rural areas and agriculture a priority, the country will accelerate the modernization of the rural governance system and capacities and take a path of rural vitalization with Chinese characteristics.

The goal is to make agriculture a promising sector, farming an appealing profession and rural areas a beautiful home where people can live in peace and contentment, the statement said.

All areas and government departments should foster a concept of urban-rural integration, unified design and planning when making local plans or projects for rural vitalization.

Different methods should be adopted for different areas to better adapt to village conditions and farmers’ wills. The government, society and market must make concerted efforts, and farmers should be encouraged to play the principal role.

The meeting also highlighted challenges the country faces in its battle against poverty, and called for an enhanced sense of responsibility and urgency. Ensuring that poor people and poor areas enter a moderately prosperous society together with the rest of the country will lay the foundation for the rural vitalization strategy, the statement said.

Targeted poverty reduction and alleviation will continue to be the guiding approach, and special focus will be given to areas of extreme poverty and extremely poor groups. More efforts will go to creating the self-generated impetus of the poor population, the statement said.

The country will focus on offering support to the poverty relief in areas of extreme poverty and improving the development conditions in such areas.

Tailored poverty relief measures will reach villages, households and individuals, and more will be done to alleviate poverty through the development of local industries, employment, relocation, education, healthcare and conservation of local ecological resources, the statement said.

The country will also refine the assessment, supervision and evaluation mechanism for poverty relief. Wrongdoings in areas related to poverty alleviation will be punished firmly by Party disciplinary organs or by the law.