The People's Livelihood

2004-03-01 18:00

Personal Income Economic development has markedly improved the lives of all the various peoples living in Tibet. Today, most farmers and herdsmen are living above the subsistence level and some have gained real prosperity. Average per capita net income of farmers and herdsmen increased from 200 yuan in 1978 to nearly 1,000 yuan in 1994; per capita urban personal income used for living expenses increased by a similarly substantial margin over the same period. Much of this additional urban and rural income went to improvements in standards of living, with the remainder going into personal savings. By the end of 1994 urban and rural savings deposits exceeded RMB one billion yuan.

Individual Consumption A sample survey of 3,181 farmers indicated that 24 percent of their consumption expenditure went to housing construction and 68.4 percent to household fixtures and daily-use items.

The diet has been becoming increasingly diversified. Consumption of vegetables, eggs, alcoholic beverages, candies and pastries has increased. A sample survey of urban dwellers showed more than 50 percent of consumption expenditure going for food; 58 percent of that food expenditure went for meat, poultry, milk, eggs, dried and fresh fruits and vegetables.

Citizens are increasingly spending their money on ready-made clothing of better quality and in new styles. Social Security The Tibetan government keeps its eye on problems related to employment, medical care, residential housing, care for the aged, insurance, poverty and natural disasters, providing financial assistance where necessary.

The government completely guarantees the livelihood of the childless solitary old men and women and orphans. It has already established ten welfare centres and over 50 retirement homes for the elderly in rural areas.

More than 7,000 persons who have lost the ability to work to support themselves, whether through age, handicap or infirmity, can rely on the government for the "five guarantees": food, clothing, medical care, housing and burial expenses.

The Tibetan government has consistently followed a policy of supporting production and supplying relief in poverty-stricken areas and to poverty stricken house-holds. Special funds are set aside for poverty assistance and disaster relief.

Beginning in the 1980s, 90 million yuan has been allocated to help the poor, in addition to more than 40 million kilogrammes of grain and great quantities of clothing and quilts, housing, tents and tools of production; 50 million yuan has gone to disaster relief and more than 2,000 rural savings associations have been set up to help communities themselves deal with poverty and natural disasters.

The Tibetan government has accelerated reform of the social security system centred on old age care and unemployment insurance to match the requirements of the establishment of a socialist market economy system. Emphasis is being placed on expanding the inclusiveness of insured care for the elderly and increasing the pooling of such coverage as is appropriate.

The regional authorities are responsible for the unified planning of old age insurance. Part of the basic pension will be pegged to the individual's average salary and part to the actual sum and the duration for which the individual has paid into the pension fund.

The government's unemployment insurance fund and attendant supervisory mechanism have been improved; at the same time services for organizing the unemployed and finding them new jobs have also been strengthened.