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Rural poverty drops after 10-year drive

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Nearly 27 million people remained below the poverty line in rural China at the end of last year after a decade of efforts to alleviate deprivation in the countryside, a white paper issued by the State Council yesterday said.

The figure is down from 94 million people in 2000, as a result of government efforts to restructure rural economies, reform of agricultural taxation and subsidies, increased direct support for low-income families and the elderly, and the boosting of educational opportunities.

The paper, 'New progress in development-oriented poverty reduction programme for rural China', documents the central government's achievements in tackling poverty outside the cities since the development-driven policy initiative was adopted in 2001.

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The central government's contribution to poverty alleviation more than doubled during the decade covered by the policy, the report stated, rising from just over 10 billion yuan in 2001 to 22.27 billion yuan last year.

The paper highlighted that 20 million poor mainlanders benefited from foreign aid provided through some 110 development projects. That aid had, 'according to incomplete statistics', channelled some US$1.4 billion into the country from abroad to support poverty reduction by 2010.

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The report - accompanied by an 8,600-word English translation - is overwhelmingly positive and largely relates government efforts to reduce poverty in glowing terms. For example, the paper says 60.9 per cent of rural households gained access to tap water or well water by the end of last year - but it makes no reference to the fact that means 39.1 per cent of homes are without a safe source of drinking water.

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