Pingyao prioritizes improvements to living standards

An aerial view of a newly built village in rural Pingyao [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

Pingyao county in North China's Shanxi province has committed itself to a full-scale program of improving the life of its residents. 

Last year, Pingyao achieved a slam dunk in poverty alleviation. All of the 40 poor villages in the county emerged from poverty, with 17,496 poor people lifted out of poverty and the annual per capita net income of poor households rising to 8,980 yuan ($1,390).

The county has also implemented detailed measures to ensure locals don't return to poverty. It has boosted microfinancing for poverty alleviation, as well as funding for village-level solar power plants and poverty alleviation public welfare posts. It has also improved work in infrastructure construction, public services, employment and development planning.

In addition, the county has reportedly carried out 15 construction, renovation and expansion projects for primary and secondary schools and promoted the balanced development of high-quality education.

To top it off, to effectively improve healthcare services, the county brought the Pingyao People's Hospital into use. 

Currently, the clinical visit rate in the county has reached 87.2 percent and the reimbursement of hospitalization expenses in the county has exceeded 75 percent. It is understood that the urban and rural residents who participate in the medical insurance program represent more than 95 percent of the population.

As for drinking water safety, the centralized water supply projects in Ninggu, Xiangle and Dujiazhuang townships have been brought into service with some 80,000 people in 56 villages in the three townships now having access to safe drinking water.