Advisers set targets for poverty reduction

National political advisers met in Beijing from Monday to Wednesday to improve the targeting of poverty relief.

Vice-Premier Wang Yang delivered a report on Monday at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, pointing to some major problems.

Political advisers said that more training should be provided to improve grassroots officials' ability to carry out poverty relief work and provide more intensive support and more effective measures.

Some said that more efforts should be put into eliminating the root causes of poverty to provide a stable basis for poverty relief.

Xu Shaoshi, a member of the CPPCC National Committee and former head of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a meeting on Tuesday that it's necessary to improve the efficiency and sustainability of government financing aimed at poverty.

He Wei, vice-chairman of the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party－one of the non-Communist parties on the Chinese mainland－and a member of the CPPCC National Committee, suggested ways that health services in poor regions could be improved.

"The central government should continue to build and improve local medical health networks. It should also provide more training and long-distance medical support," He said.

To prevent people from being thrust into poverty because of the high costs associated with major diseases, he also suggested, the central and provincial governments should provide medical subsidies to families in poverty.

Zheng Jianmin, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, stressed the importance of education in poverty relief.

"It is necessary to set up a cooperation mechanism between good urban schools and rural schools, helping rural teachers improve their professional skills. Long-distance classes through the internet can allow good urban teachers to give lessons to teachers and students in rural areas," Zheng said, adding that it's also important to build more dorms and increase salaries for young teachers to attract them to rural areas.

Efforts should be made to strengthen microfinance to enable it to play its role in targeted poverty relief, said Song Hai, a member of the CPPCC National Committee.

Han Yong, another adviser, called for strengthened regional coordination to help alleviate poverty.

Xinhua contributed to this story.