Metallurgical of China : Tang Fuping Conducts Poverty Alleviation Investigation and Survey in Yiliang, Yunnan Province

Tang Fuping Conducts Poverty Alleviation Investigation and Survey in Yiliang, Yunnan Province

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　　Mount Wumeng winds up and down through the continuous heavy rain of August. From August 15th to 16th, Group Company Chairman and Party Group Secretary Tang Fuping specially rushed to Yiliang County in Yunnan Province, an area of targeted poverty alleviation for the Group, where he went deep into the field despite the rain and conducted an investigation and survey to promote targeted poverty alleviation.

　　Located in the central region of Mount Wumeng where Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou meet among eight counties, and with mountains accounting for more than 96% of its total land area, Yiliang County has high mountains and steep slopes, crisscrossing gullies, fracturing geology and frequent hail, flooding, landslides, debris flow, earthquakes and other natural disasters, as well as a poor living environment, inadequate infrastructure and many historical debts. The entire county has a land area of 2,804 km2 with 15 villages/towns and 132 administrative villages under its jurisdiction, a total population of 630,000 of which Yi, Miao, Hui and 17 other ethnic minorities occupy 13.88% of the total population, and a national-level deep-poverty county status, presenting a difficult poverty alleviation challenge. How is the Group Company implementing its poverty alleviation project? How can Yiliang County escape poverty through targeted poverty alleviation? What are the difficulties that must be overcome for the villagers to escape poverty? These were the important issues addressed by Tang Fuping's poverty alleviation investigation and survey.

　　During his investigation and survey, Tang Fuping visited Heping Village, Houjie Village, Diwu Village, etc. of Qiaoshan Town and carried out practical inspections of poverty alleviation and development conditions in Yiliang County. After listening to reports on the actual poverty alleviation situation in Yiliang County, He stressed that winning the tough battle against poverty by 2020 as scheduled is a solemn commitment made to domestic and foreign countries by the Central Party Committee under the leadership of Xi Jinping, aiming at the baseline goal and most arduous and glorious historic task of an all-round moderately prosperous society. As a state-owned enterprise, the Group Company should thoroughly study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi Jinping's strategic thought on poverty alleviation and development, regard assisting poverty-stricken areas in winning the battle against poverty as an important task for the fulfillment of political, economic and social responsibility, intensify investment in poverty alleviation, give full play to enterprise characteristics, focus on targeted poverty alleviation and strive to solve issues related to long-term development in poverty-stricken areas.

　　During his investigation and survey at Heping Primary School and Diwu Primary School which received the direct disbursement of financial aid from the Group Company, Tang Fuping affirmed the promotion of the construction of ancillary facilities at the schools. He then pointed out that a good learning environment is important for the education of children in the primary schools of villages and the senior high schools of towns. As going to college is significant for rural families, both the schools and students should escape poverty, especially registered and archived impoverished households. In recent years, the Group Company has paid close attention to improving the level of education infrastructure in targeted poverty-stricken areas. It will follow the principle of 'promoting ambition and knowledge is essential for poverty alleviation', continue to support the development of educational undertakings and make efforts to prevent the intergenerational transmission of poverty. After understanding the employment statuses of several local students and registered and archived impoverished households, Tang Fuping pointed out that the Group Company is expanding its business in Yunnan; relevant enterprises should rely on their professional expertise to improve the skill levels of poverty-stricken labor forces so as to make contributions to local employment and poverty alleviation conditions.

　　Qianshan Town of Yiliang County encounters widespread water shortages and its tens of thousands of villagers lack adequate drinking water; the quality of the available water fails to reach the standard, seriously endangering the health of the local people and restricting local economic and social development. For this reason, Tang Fuping and his delegation rushed to Houjie Village to carry out a field investigation and survey on the Water Diversion Project. Tang Fuping elaborately asked about the water shortages, geological structure, construction scheme and capital budgeting. He emphasized that the stable realization of 'two adequacies and three guarantees' for the poverty-stricken population is the overall objective put forward by the Central Party Committee regarding poverty alleviation and development. The Qianshan Town Water Diversion Project will solve local drinking water problems over the years while also achieving efficient agricultural irrigation. The Group Company will invest funds to help Yiliang County launch the project, further focus on livelihood projects which offer solutions to the extremely urgent needs of the people and 'blood production' projects for the promotion of local industries by selecting projects with aid funds, and help poverty-stricken areas to complete their poverty alleviation tasks on schedule.

　　'How many people are there in your family? Where do your children go to school? How about subsidies? What about drinking water?' Tang Fuping also visited impoverished households, carefully checked their living conditions and inquired about their household income and expenditure, and the main reasons for their poverty. In a deeply poverty-stricken household, upon learning that 75-year-old Peng Lihua and his wife raised their three grandchildren on their own after the death of their son, Tang Fuping squeezed Mr. Peng's hands and said, 'Your family is in difficulty as well as having a very tough life. Now the Central Party Committee has made policies for poverty alleviation. Party organizations and governments at all levels care about you and are willing to help you. I hope you are in good health so as to better bring up your grandchildren. Their healthy growth will make your family better off. I extend my heartfelt blessings to you!' At the end of this visit, Tang Fuping presented Peng Lihua and his family with consolation money.

　　The targeted poverty alleviation projects of the Group Company are all located deep in the mountains and the investigation and survey was conducted during the rainy season. On the evening of August 15th, Weining County of Bijie City, Guizhou Province close to Yiliang County suffered a 4.4-magnitude earthquake which resulted in a large area of rockfall and landslides. On August 16th, there were heavy downpours in Zhaotong City while the investigation and survey group advanced deep into the mountains along wandering and rolling roads regardless of the rain, witnessing torrential flooding, debris flow and landslides. Signs of danger appearing everywhere, blocked roads, tires punctured by rocks, injuries from rockfall and other difficulties and dangers attended the solid and steady progresses of Group Company's poverty alleviation.

　　With great power comes great responsibility. Targeted poverty alleviation is not only the implementation of the requirements of the CPC Central Committee and State Council but also the mission of state-owned enterprises' active fulfillment of social responsibilities. Since 2002, the China Minmetals Corporation Headquarters has maintained targeted poverty alleviation relationships with Zhenxiong County, Yiliang County and Weixin County of Zhaotong City in Yunnan Province, Huayuan County of the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture in Hunan Province, Yanhe County and Dejiang County of Tongren City in Guizhou Province, and Qilian County of Haibei Prefecture in Qinghai Province, assigned 36 temporary officials to 7 counterpart assistance counties over 16 years, carried out a great amount of work in investment promotion, labor export, training and learning, poverty relief, etc., persisted in the annual implementation of direct financial aid and 'Love Package' branding works, directly invested in and mobilized employees to donate poverty alleviation funds of over RMB 120 million in total, and composed a song of targeted poverty alleviation with great love so as to help people in poverty-stricken areas realize the Chinese Dream of a beautiful life.

　　The investigation and survey was participated in by the principals of the Group Company's related departments Wang Wenhai and Wang Yunlin

　　Tang Fuping investigates and surveys Heping Primary School's ancillary facilities under construction

　　Tang Fuping investigates and surveys Diwu Primary School's completed ancillary facilities

　　Tang Fuping visits and comforts Peng Lihua at his registered and archived household

　　Tang Fuping visits and comforts Peng Lihua and his family at their registered and archived household

　　Tang Fuping carries out a field inspection of the Qiaoshan Town Water Diversion Project