Heilongjiang's Impoverished Areas Take On Much Improved Outlook ˇˇˇˇBy now, rural per-capita net income in the 16 poverty-stricken counties of Heilongjiang Province has topped 1,500 yuan, an increase of 2.2 times the figure of 1993, the year before implementation of the plan for the arduous anti-poverty battle. The number of poor people not yet solving the problem of getting enough food and clothing has dropped from 2.8 million in 1993 to 0.68 million. ˇˇˇˇBetween 1994 and 1998, the State had invested a total of 1.8 billion yuan in poverty-relief funds in Heilongjiang Province; beginning from 1997, the province has earmarked an annual special poverty-relief funds of 5 million yuan, which is mainly used in helping poverty-stricken villages and impoverished households. Economicnews 1999-07-12 Page1 Full Story in Chinese