The Rural Subsistence Allowance System
Since the late 1970s, the central authorities have adopted a series of major policies and kept increasing support for poverty alleviation and social assistance. Although the number of rural poor was much smaller, there were still people whose basic needs were not met. The government needed to ensure their basic living conditions, and help those with the ability to work escape poverty through their own efforts.
At its third plenary session held in October 2003, the 16th CPC Central Committee adopted a decision on improving the socialist market economy, in which it initiated a subsistence allowance system in rural areas. After a number of trials, by March 2007 this system had been introduced in 2,133 counties and districts in 25 provinces and equivalent administrative units, benefiting more than 15 million farmers. The "five guarantees" (food, clothing, housing, medical service and funeral costs) program for eligible groups in rural areas was originally supported by farmers collectively, and now it was mainly supported by government subsidies.
In July 2007, the State Council, in a notice on establishing a nationwide rural subsistence allowance system, required that all eligible rural poor population have access to the subsistence allowance, so as to steadily and effectively provide them with adequate food and clothing in the long term.
This system was established across the country following the Party's 17th National Congress in late 2007. By the end of 2008, 19.8 million households and 43 million people had received such rural subsistence allowances. The total spending of the year on this reached 22.9 billion yuan.
In 2009, pilots were conducted on a new type of rural social old-age insurance. All rural residents above the age of 16 (excluding students) who were not covered by the basic old-age insurance for urban workers could apply. Those above 60 years were entitled to a monthly pension. The pilots involved 10 percent of counties, urban districts and banners in 2009, and by 2020 the scheme had reached nearly all eligible rural residents.
The introduction of the rural subsistence allowance system and the new type rural social old-age insurance were major measures to ensure basic needs and to build an extensive social security network. They helped promote rural economic and social development, narrow the urban-rural gap, and achieve social equity.
农村最低生活保障制度
改革开放以来，中共中央、国务院作出了一系列重大决策部署，不断加大扶贫开发和社会救助工作力度，农村贫困人口大幅减少。但是，仍有部分贫困人口尚未解决温饱问题，需要政府给予必要的救助以保障其基本生活，并帮助其中有劳动能力的人积极劳动脱贫致富。2003年10月，中共十六届三中全会审议通过《中共中央关于完善社会主义市场经济体制若干问题的决定》，提出探索建立农村最低生活保障制度。部分地区根据中央部署进行了积极探索，至2007年3月，全国有25个省（自治区、直辖市）、2133个县（市、区）初步建立了农村最低生活保障制度，1509万农民享受了农村最低生活保障，基本实现了农村“五保”（即保吃、保穿、保住、保医、保葬）从农民集体互助共济向财政供养为主的转变。2007年7月，国务院发布《关于在全国建立农村最低生活保障制度的通知》，要求将符合条件的农村贫困人口全部纳入保障范围，稳定、持久、有效地解决全国农村贫困人口的温饱问题。
中共十七大召开后，农村最低生活保障制度在全国范围内建立起来。截至2008年年底，全国已有1982.2万户、4305.5万人得到了农村最低生活保障，平均低保标准每人每月82.3元，全年共发放农村最低生活保障资金228.7亿元。
在此基础上，国务院决定，从2009年起开展新型农村社会养老保险试点。凡年满16周岁（不含在校学生）、未参加城镇职工基本养老保险的农村居民，可以在户籍地自愿参加新农保。年满60周岁、未享受城镇职工基本养老保险待遇的农村有户籍的老年人，可以按月领取养老金。2009年，新型农村社会养老保险试点覆盖面为全国10%的县（市、区、旗），此后逐步扩大试点，在全国普遍实施，到2020年基本实现对农村适龄居民的全覆盖。
在全国建立农村最低生活保障制度和新型农村社会养老保险制度，是解决农村贫困人口温饱问题、加快建设覆盖城乡居民社会保障体系的重要举措，对于促进农村经济社会发展，逐步缩小城乡差距，维护社会公平具有重要意义。
