The Rural Subsistence Allowance System

Since the late 1970s, the central authorities have adopted a series of major policies and kept increasing support for poverty alleviation and social assistance. Although the number of rural poor was much smaller, there were still people whose basic needs were not met. The government needed to ensure their basic living conditions, and help those with the ability to work escape poverty through their own efforts.

At its third plenary session held in October 2003, the 16th CPC Central Committee adopted a decision on improving the socialist market economy, in which it initiated a subsistence allowance system in rural areas. After a number of trials, by March 2007 this system had been introduced in 2,133 counties and districts in 25 provinces and equivalent administrative units, benefiting more than 15 million farmers. The "five guarantees" (food, clothing, housing, medical service and funeral costs) program for eligible groups in rural areas was originally supported by farmers collectively, and now it was mainly supported by government subsidies.

In July 2007, the State Council, in a notice on establishing a nationwide rural subsistence allowance system, required that all eligible rural poor population have access to the subsistence allowance, so as to steadily and effectively provide them with adequate food and clothing in the long term. 

This system was established across the country following the Party's 17th National Congress in late 2007. By the end of 2008, 19.8 million households and 43 million people had received such rural subsistence allowances. The total spending of the year on this reached 22.9 billion yuan.

In 2009, pilots were conducted on a new type of rural social old-age insurance. All rural residents above the age of 16 (excluding students) who were not covered by the basic old-age insurance for urban workers could apply. Those above 60 years were entitled to a monthly pension. The pilots involved 10 percent of counties, urban districts and banners in 2009, and by 2020 the scheme had reached nearly all eligible rural residents.

The introduction of the rural subsistence allowance system and the new type rural social old-age insurance were major measures to ensure basic needs and to build an extensive social security network. They helped promote rural economic and social development, narrow the urban-rural gap, and achieve social equity.

農村最低生活保障制度

改革開放以來，中共中央、國務院作出了一系列重大決策部署，不斷加大扶貧開發和社會救助工作力度，農村貧困人口大幅減少。但是，仍有部分貧困人口尚未解決溫飽問題，需要政府給予必要的救助以保障其基本生活，并幫助其中有勞動能力的人積極勞動脫貧致富。2003年10月，中共十六屆三中全會審議通過《中共中央關于完善社會主義市場經濟體制若干問題的決定》，提出探索建立農村最低生活保障制度。部分地區根據中央部署進行了積極探索，至2007年3月，全國有25個省（自治區、直轄市）、2133個縣（市、區）初步建立了農村最低生活保障制度，1509萬農民享受了農村最低生活保障，基本實現了農村“五保”（即保吃、保穿、保住、保醫、保葬）從農民集體互助共濟向財政供養為主的轉變。2007年7月，國務院發布《關于在全國建立農村最低生活保障制度的通知》，要求將符合條件的農村貧困人口全部納入保障范圍，穩定、持久、有效地解決全國農村貧困人口的溫飽問題。

中共十七大召開后，農村最低生活保障制度在全國范圍內建立起來。截至2008年年底，全國已有1982.2萬戶、4305.5萬人得到了農村最低生活保障，平均低保標準每人每月82.3元，全年共發放農村最低生活保障資金228.7億元。

在此基礎上，國務院決定，從2009年起開展新型農村社會養老保險試點。凡年滿16周歲（不含在校學生）、未參加城鎮職工基本養老保險的農村居民，可以在戶籍地自愿參加新農保。年滿60周歲、未享受城鎮職工基本養老保險待遇的農村有戶籍的老年人，可以按月領取養老金。2009年，新型農村社會養老保險試點覆蓋面為全國10%的縣（市、區、旗），此后逐步擴大試點，在全國普遍實施，到2020年基本實現對農村適齡居民的全覆蓋。

在全國建立農村最低生活保障制度和新型農村社會養老保險制度，是解決農村貧困人口溫飽問題、加快建設覆蓋城鄉居民社會保障體系的重要舉措，對于促進農村經濟社會發展，逐步縮小城鄉差距，維護社會公平具有重要意義。