The premise of targeted poverty alleviation is the accurate identification of impoverished people.

What I saw during two visits to the grassroots in recent years is unforgettable: one was a mountain village in a county with a strong economy, where the houses of about a hundred households were dilapidated, the most presentable street in the village was a narrow road of broken stones, and the annual per capita income of most households was no more than 1,500 yuan; the other was a visit to a province-level poverty-alleviation county, where everywhere one saw tidy village appearances and beautiful dwellings, and almost every village had thriving industrial projects, with no trace of poverty visible at all. Comparing the two, the former made one feel that even prosperous places have impoverished people in need of assistance, while the latter made one feel that in some places the label of poverty has been wrongly applied or should now be removed.

Regarding poverty alleviation work, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed the need to adapt measures to local conditions and to direct more efforts toward specific populations and concrete people in carrying out targeted poverty alleviation. Looking at reality, we have to say that the precision of poverty alleviation work is still far from sufficient.

In terms of poverty alleviation areas, from poverty alleviation villages up to poverty alleviation counties, there still exist situations of "pretending to be poor to gain benefits" and situations of "flood irrigation," where some poverty alleviation funds, projects, and policies have not landed where they should. In terms of the impoverished population, some poor households located in prosperous areas are often obscured by the shadow of prosperity and overlooked; while in some rural areas, poverty alleviation policies "go off form" upon implementation and "leak and drip away," and many of those receiving assistance are not truly poor households but rather the connections of village cadres. All these situations are not only unfair but also hinder the national poverty alleviation strategy from being well implemented and achieving real results.

Analyzing the causes of these problems, on the one hand, due to loose work operation mechanisms, inadequate and shallow investigation and research, and unclear baseline surveys, the targeting of poverty alleviation has deviated; on the other hand, the methods of poverty alleviation work are simple and extensive, whether "flood irrigation," or "using grenades to blow up fleas," or "scattering sesame salt," all of which reduce the precision of poverty alleviation targets; at the same time, because the level of grassroots organization building varies from place to place, some rural areas engage in "black-box operations" in implementing poverty alleviation policies, artificially obstructing targeted poverty alleviation.

To implement targeted poverty alleviation, at least four links must be handled meticulously: first, accurately identifying those in need of assistance; second, accurately finding the "root causes" of poverty; third, prescribing the right remedy by determining assistance strategies and measures; fourth, scientifically and strictly ensuring that measures are implemented. These four links are connected one to another, and none can be missing. But the link of identifying the poor is the most fundamental and most critical first step toward achieving targeted poverty alleviation. Only by identifying the truly poor households, poor villages, and poor counties, and discarding the false while keeping the true, can we achieve genuine poverty alleviation and assist the truly poor.

Therefore, the following suggestions are made: First, strengthen the standardization of the procedures for "identifying the poor" and "determining the poor." National and provincial competent departments for poverty alleviation and development should also establish and improve open and transparent mechanisms for identifying and determining poverty alleviation targets, and establish a nationwide open information system for rural poverty alleviation. Following the principle of "county as the unit, responsibility at each level, accurate identification," adopt the methods of "mass appraisal, public announcement, spot checks and inspections, and on-site investigation," from the bottom up, to screen and determine poor households, poor villages, and poor townships, and establish files and cards, ensuring that the identified poverty alleviation targets are genuine and accurate. Second, closely combine strengthening rural grassroots organization building with advancing poverty alleviation work. By building high-quality village-level teams, ensure that "identifying the poor" and "recommending the poor" are open, fair, and equitable. Third, regions with different levels of economic development should, according to actual conditions, establish local poverty evaluation standards, screen poverty alleviation targets, and implement targeted "drip irrigation" style poverty alleviation, so as to promote the realization of comprehensive common prosperity. Fourth, implement dynamic management of poverty alleviation work and establish a scientific entry and exit mechanism. Regularly conduct on-site assessments of the development of poverty alleviation targets, understand the dynamics of changes in social wealth and poverty, let those who have already become prosperous quickly take off their hats and leave the ranks, and let those in need of assistance promptly join the ranks. Fifth, bring the operation of poverty alleviation work onto the track of the rule of law. Implement a responsibility system for the work of identifying the poor and determining the poor, and strictly pursue accountability for individuals and organizations that engage in fraud, illegal operations, and obtaining benefits improperly, ensuring that poverty alleviation work is precise and in place, so that the people who truly need assistance can enjoy the sunshine and rain of national policies.