1.16 million pulled out of poverty with SZ’s help

Writer: Han Ximin  | Editor: Holly Wang  | From:  | Updated: 2019-07-12

Shenzhen's efforts in helping less-developed cities alleviate poverty have lifted 1.16 million people out of poverty in 10 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.

In 2019, Shenzhen budgeted 4.92 billion yuan (US$717 million) for precision poverty relief, sources from the city’s meeting on poverty relief work said.

In developing the city’s poverty relief system, which consists of participation by governments, society and enterprises, the city has published a three-year action plan (2018-2020) requiring poverty relief work to consider the requirements of impoverished regions, and set precision poverty relief tasks to improve the livelihood, and social and economic development of regions that receive aid.

In Heyuan City, which Shenzhen is assigned to help with its poverty relief campaign, China (Heyuan) International Smart Phone Innovation and Entrepreneurship Contest attracted 900 teams and individuals to participate, contributing to the transformation of the agriculture-based city into a new industry-based city. Seventy-six industrial projects have attracted 120 billion yuan in investment to Heyuan.

Key and major industrial projects have invigorated the industrial development and innovation in the eastern, western and northern parts of Guangdong that surround the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

On Guangdong Poverty Relief Day this June, Shenzhen received 1.23 billion yuan in donations to help the impoverished regions. The city also initiated the Shenzhen Enterprises and Village Aid Program to guide enterprises in aiding 1,000 villages through financial and technological innovation.

China Ping An Intelligent Aid Program, targeting grass-roots cadres, village doctors and teachers, has benefitted 230,000 teachers and students through online teaching alone.