Tibet will further lift livelihoods of people

The Tibet autonomous region plans to further improve living conditions for those living in border areas this year, with the move expected to help alleviate poverty and boost border security, local officials said.

The region will allocate more funds to further improve infrastructure and people's livelihoods in border areas in 2019 to bring more prosperity to locals who play an important role in safeguarding the country's borders, according to the annual work report of the Tibet regional government released last week.

"The regional government has attached great importance to improving infrastructure in border villages in areas including transportation and telecommunications. Ensuring people live well-off lives in border areas is also a part of overall efforts to reinforce poverty alleviation and border security," said Hu Hong, deputy head of Gyirong county, on the border with Nepal.

Last year, 2,534 kilometers of roads were built in the border areas of Tibet, providing links to Myanmar and India. Efforts have been enhanced to connect border areas that lack electricity supply to the power grid, and to ensure villages and key thoroughfares in those areas are covered by telecommunications networks, Qi Zhala, the regional government chairman, said while presenting the work report to the annual session of the Tibet Autonomous Region People's Congress on Jan 10.

Tibet will also raise annual subsidies for people living in border areas to between 4,500 yuan ($665) and 4,700 yuan this year depending on the distance they live from neighboring countries. This is the third consecutive year that the regional government hiked subsidies, and it is intended to boost enthusiasm among locals for safeguarding borders, according to the regional government.

This year, the regional government also plans to renovate 18,900 homes, and some 20,000 new apartments will be built as public housing to improve the quality of life.

Houses set for a face-lift are mainly located in ancient villages, State-owned industrial and mining zones, and in forests, according to the regional government.

Some 7,300 households providing shelter to 10,800 financially underprivileged individuals will receive government rental subsidies in 2019. In rural areas, sewage and waste disposal projects will be prioritized this year in order to improve the lives of locals.