China's 13th five-year plan aims to turn the nation into a "moderately prosperous society by 2020". One specific target is to bring tens of millions of people out of poverty. Let's take a look at the roadmap of how the government plans to achieve that.
55 million, 750 thousand, that's the number of people in China currently living under the poverty line.
People are in poverty for different reasons. Many have no way to increase their income, 33 percent suffer from a lack of funds, 20 percent are held back because they don't have enough skills, and around 42 percent are poor because of illness-related conditions.
In five years, China will push the "One Village, One Product" scheme as a way to alleviate poverty. This scheme involves some 30 million people. China will build over 150 thousand kilometers of roads for the poor regions, to help with product transport. Broadband connections will be built to provide more than 90 percent internet coverage in the poor villages, and allow the selling of products through e-commerce.
For regions where the eco-system is fragile, some 10 million poor people will be relocated. The central government has already put aside 600 billion yuan, or some 92 billion US dollars, to fund the resettlement.
There are also plans to provide vocational education to those who dropped out of school due to money issues. Some 10 million people are expected to be lifted from poverty through employment. Those who lost their ability to work due to illness will enjoy universal health care provided by the government.
Others will be granted a minimum subsistence allowance by the government. The roadmap to lift people out of poverty has already been laid out. Moving step by step, the goal is expected to be met by 2020.
