Southwest China's Guizhou Province has mapped out a blueprint to eliminate poverty in the next five years.

During the country's 11th Five-Year Program Guidelines (2006-2010), Guizhou is to carry out abundant poverty-relief projects to help the 2.66 million poor population with an average annual income of under 625 yuan (about US$78) per person.

Meanwhile, the poverty-relief efforts will benefit some 4.65 million needy people with an average annual income under 825 yuan (US$103). Over 70 percent of the poor people are living in remote mountainous across the province.

According to the plan, Guizhou will pour huge investment into the poverty elimination projects including infrastructure construction, water and electricity supply, technique training and telecommunications projects in rural areas.

Guizhou is an agricultural province with karst landforms accounting for 97 percent of its total land space. In 1995, its poor people totaled 7 million, accounting for 10 percent of the country's total.

Thanks to poverty elimination projects over the past five years, the poverty-stricken population in Guizhou has dropped to less than 3 million from 7 million a decade ago.

According to statistics from the provincial government, during the 10th-Five-Year Plan Guidelines (2001-2005), 470,000 people in Guizhou who did not have enough food and clothing previously have become well-fed.

Another 800,000 needy people in Guizhou with an average annual income of under 825 yuan were also helped by poverty-relief projects launched by governments at all levels during the period.

China launched a nationwide program in 1994 to reduce poverty.

(Xinhua News Agency April 3, 2006)