HAIKOU, October 21. /TASS/. The income of the poor population of Lingshui Li Autonomous County (south of Сhina's Hainan) has increased by more than 100 million yuan (over $ 15 million) since the beginning of the year. According to the Hainan Daily, the provincial authorities achieved this by stimulating domestic consumption.
According to published data, there were 40 villages with a low standard of living in the region. The government's active measures to combat poverty have made it possible to significantly improve their well-being — all 42,000 people who were previously classified as materially disadvantaged now belong to the lower middle class in terms of income.
“Taking into account the incomplete statistics, in January-September 139 companies and organizations took part in the program to alleviate poverty by boosting consumption in our district,” the local authorities said. The involvement of low-income households in the economic activities of a number of sectors in the region is supported by state enterprises, educational, medical and government institutions, public canteens, hotels and private catering establishments, as well as wholesale markets.
Hainan's Commerce Administration explained that e-commerce plays an important part in poverty alleviation, creating new jobs and quickly finding interested buyers for the products of low-income farmers. According to official data, there are over 3,400 small online stores in Lingshui-Lis Autonomous County, which have provided employment for more than 11,000 people in the three quarters of 2020. Many of them belong to the category of people in need of material support.
In addition, Hainan periodically hosts festivals to boost consumption, as well as numerous exhibitions, both online and in person. The promotion of agricultural products is also carried out through live video broadcasting channels on popular commercial sites, which allow buyers to learn more about the goods, purchase products on the Internet, the high quality of which is guaranteed by a strict regulation system.
Hainan has an active policy aimed at improving the population's general welfare. At the beginning of 2020, the island announced an early implementation of the state plan to tackle poverty. According to the general program for the development of Hainan's free trade port, in the foreseeable future the province should become an important trade, economic and financial center, thus in the next decade, the authorities plan to create a solid group of highly professional personnel, including those from low-income families. The government pays close attention to training young professionals in the field of advanced agriculture, knowledge-intensive industries, as well as in the modern service sector.