China provides social relief for those in difficulty

BEIJING - Social relief systems have been set up in 26 provincial-level regions of China to protect people in financial difficulty, Vice Civil Affairs Minister Dou Yupei said on Wednesday.

Dou said 14 regions have funds to help people in temporary difficulty, even though their family income is higher than the minimum standard of applying for subsistence allowance.

"A regulation on temporary social assistance will be released which will give an accurate definition of people who meet the standard of getting such help," Dou said.

According to Dou, a system to supervise the allocation of subsistence allowance will be set up across the country by the end of 2015. The system will check family income and property information of applicants.

Pilot systems have been set up in 143 regions since 2009.

Twenty provinces have also set up centers to provide guidance to low-income families, Dou added.

According to Dou, the number of seniors above 60 has surpassed 200 million, 14.9 percent of the total population.