Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region has unveiled 21 to-do items to improve residents' livelihood with a total estimated spending of 12.14 billion yuan (about 1.71 billion U.S. dollars) in 2024.
The to-do list, as an appendix of the region's government work report, was submitted to the second plenary session of the 12th People's Congress of the Xizang Autonomous Region held from Sunday to Wednesday.
As listed, the annual subsidy under the "Three Guarantees" policy for education in the region -- providing food, accommodation, and school expenses for preschool to senior high school students from farming and herding households and impoverished urban families -- will increase by 90 yuan to 5,620 yuan per person this year.
The other issues include higher healthcare subsidies for urban and rural residents, support for an oxygen supply project in high-altitude areas, higher subsidies for the elderly, orphans and people with disabilities, and even 2,500 yuan per household as a subsidy for upgrading their toilets.
"The implementation of these 21 items is not only a test of the government's governance capability but also a common responsibility for the whole society," said Phurjung, a regional political advisor. "We need to build consensus and work together so that these items can be implemented and benefit the people."
Phurjung, a physics teacher from a senior high school in the city of Xigaze, also highlights advancements in education, ranging from the facility upgrade, such as the introduction of digital screens, to the improved meals at school.
"The students have not only the Tibetan traditional food of tsampa and yak butter tea but also bread and milk for free," Phurjung said.
According to a white paper issued last year, progressively since 2012, Xizang has eliminated the problem of students dropping out of school and has established a student financial assistance system covering all stages of education for every student from disadvantaged families. From 2012 to 2022, the central government invested more than 251.51 billion yuan in Xizang's education, the paper said.
This is not the first time for the region to announce a to-do list.
In 2023, the regional government poured 13.28 billion yuan on 21 items, covering education, healthcare, employment and other aspects addressing the residents' livelihood, which has all been implemented, according to the regional development and reform commission.
Yeshe Chotso, a fifth grader from the Ngari-Shaanxi Experimental School in Ngari Prefecture, has benefited from the heating project included in the to-do lists in recent years.
Known for its high altitude of over 4,500 meters on average, the prefecture is freezing in winter, with the lowest temperature plummeting to minus 30 degrees Celsius.
"With the heating system, we no longer need to worry about writing with numb hands," said Yeshe Chotso, 11. "Now, we feel so warm in school, like we were at home."
In the school, all 46 classrooms are connected to a central heating system, and the room temperature is kept at 20 degrees Celsius.
In recent years, Xizang has invested 3.1 billion yuan in the heating project, benefiting 270,000 students. To date, all schools of various kinds in the region have had access to heating facilities.
- To-do list of Xizang gov't focuses on improving livelihood
- China releases the first list of 789 important habitats for terrestrial wildlife animals to strengthen protection
- China releases list of first batch of pilot cities seeking to peak carbon dioxide emissions
- China issues white paper on CPC policies on governance of Xizang in new era
- Xizang undergoes rapid development over past decade: cultural industry insider
- Old tea forests in China's Pu'er listed as world heritage site
Popular Videos
Hot comments
- China Life: Chinese women shine with She Power
- First apes at U.S. zoo receive COVID-19 vaccine made for animals, zoo official says
- 86-year-old grandma in Hebei spends most her life on traditional cheongsam
- Homemade curling videos trending in China
- Guangxi plans 1,000+ projects for investment cooperation in key industries
- Asia is young!
- Lantern Festival: A romantic celebration in China
- Nanning handles 60,000+ tons of aviation cargo in 2022
- Guangxi resumes border trade with Vietnam
- 120+ Malaysian enterprises to debut at 20th CAEXPO
Top Reviews
- To-do list of Xizang gov't focuses on improving livelihood
- View of microalgae breeding base in Guangxi
- 5 cities approved to set up Guangxi FTZ coordinated development zones
- Main span of Guangxi's longest sea bridge completed
- GLOBALink | China continues to be significant driver of global economic growth: WEF president
- GLOBALink | China-Maldives Friendship Bridge linking present and future: Maldivians
- Laos, China ready to further cooperation to build community with shared future
- CCDI plenary session adopts communique
- China's Chang'e-6 scheduled for launch in first half of 2024
- China's newly developed aircraft launched its first commercial flight