How should this weak link in poverty alleviation and development be strengthened?
"Party committees and governments at all levels must grasp the timing, strive to strengthen weak links, and scientifically plan the poverty alleviation and development work for the '13th Five-Year Plan' period, to ensure that the poor population is lifted out of poverty on schedule by 2020." Recently, at a symposium of principal responsible comrades of party committees of some provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities held in Guizhou, General Secretary Xi Jinping listened to opinions and suggestions on poverty alleviation and development work and economic and social development during the '13th Five-Year Plan' period, and put forward the specific requirements of the "four practicals" for intensifying efforts to advance poverty alleviation and development work. This is the general command of the Party Central Committee for the decisive battle and final victory in poverty alleviation, and also our new guide for completing the poverty eradication goal.
A moderately prosperous society is not truly moderately prosperous unless the rural folks are. Without moderate prosperity in poor areas, without the poor population being lifted out of poverty, there will be no building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects. The final year of the '13th Five-Year Plan' is 2020, which happens to be the time node we have set for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. The '13th Five-Year Plan' is the concluding plan for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Whether we can bring it to a successful conclusion and build a moderately prosperous society in all respects on schedule, judging from the current situation, the most arduous and heaviest task lies in rural areas, especially in poor areas, and this is the biggest "weak link" in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. In the economic and social development during the '13th Five-Year Plan' period, this "weak link" of poverty alleviation and development must be strengthened.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as General Secretary has regarded poverty alleviation and development as a major matter concerning the Party and the country's political direction, fundamental system and development path. It has improved the poverty alleviation and development management system of central coordination, provincial-level overall responsibility, and county-level implementation, advanced the reform of the assessment mechanism for national key counties for poverty alleviation and development work, and opened up new poverty alleviation ideas such as scientific poverty alleviation, targeted poverty alleviation and endogenous poverty alleviation. A series of new strategic thoughts and strategic arrangements have powerfully propelled the cause of poverty alleviation in the new era forward.
The deeper one goes, the harder progress becomes. Since the founding of New China, and especially since the reform and opening up, we have achieved "the fastest large-scale poverty reduction in human history to date," becoming the first developing country in the world to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of halving the poverty-stricken population. On the other hand, poverty alleviation and development work still faces an extremely arduous task. At present, the country has 14 contiguous areas of extreme poverty, 592 national key counties for poverty alleviation and development work, 128,000 poor villages, 29.485 million poor households, and 70.17 million poor people... Every one of these numbers is heavy, highlighting the severity of the situation for poverty alleviation and eradication.
By 2020, 70 million poor people must all be lifted out of poverty, and time is extremely tight. Poverty alleviation and development work has entered the sprint period of gnawing on hard bones and storming fortifications. In 6 years, an average of 11.7 million people need to be reduced each year, and the task is quite heavy. The further back one goes, the greater the difficulty of poverty eradication. The situation is pressing and does not wait for anyone. Party committees and governments at all levels must, in accordance with General Secretary Xi Jinping's requirements, enhance their sense of urgency and initiative, adopt measures with greater force, stronger targeting, more direct effects and more sustainable results, effectively implement leadership responsibilities, effectively achieve targeted poverty alleviation, effectively strengthen social synergy, and effectively strengthen grassroots organizations, to ensure that the poor population is all lifted out of poverty on schedule by 2020.
Eliminating poverty, improving people's livelihood and achieving common prosperity are the essential requirements of socialism and also an important mission of our Party. From solving absolute poverty to reducing relative poverty; from solving the problem of food and clothing to achieving moderate prosperity in all respects, what changes is the task of poverty alleviation, but what does not change is the concern for the people. Resolve like the Foolish Old Man who moved the mountains, gnaw through the hard bones, strengthen this "weak link" of poverty alleviation and development, and never let the poor areas and poor people fall behind in the process of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. This is the solemn promise of the Party and the country, and also a political task that must be completed.