China's Poverty Standard to Be UpgradedThe bottom-line for poverty in China is to be upgraded in order to assist the poor to shake off thoroughly the pest of poverty in the 21st century, sources said recently.In the past, the attention was mainly paid to assisting those who were landed in ultra-poverty. The key issue in those days was to meet the needs of warm clothing and eating one's fill. However, with the economic development and the raising of living standard, the poverty line has to be escalated as well. As reported, the current poverty line was worked out according to a survey by the State Administration of Statistics on the average expenditure of 6.7 rural households in 1986. The survey told that 206 yuan would be enough to meet the basic needs of the poor in 1985. However, the price index kept on changing from year to year and up to 1990, the said bottom-line was increased to 300 yuan, and came up to 625 yuan in 1999. By PD Online staff member Yin Zhili |
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