Civil affairs work intricately intertwines with people’s livelihoods and resonates with public sentiment, forming the bedrock and cornerstone of social development. On December 1st, Huai’an People’s Government convened a press conference focused on “Elevating Guarantee Standards for Difficult Groups and Ensuring the Bottom Line of Basic Livelihood”. During the session, they unveiled adjustments to relief standards in Huai’an, spanning urban and rural subsistence allowances, basic living assurances for distressed children, and support for vulnerable demographics. The officials also engaged with reporters, addressing their inquiries.

To further improve the security of basic living for difficult groups, Huai’an recalibrated the minimum living guarantee standards for urban and rural residents, alongside adjusting basic living expenses for children in distress. These new standards took effect on July 1st of this year. Specifically, the minimum living guarantee for urban and rural residents increased from 655 yuan per person per month to 675 yuan. Concurrently, monthly allowances for institutionalized orphans, kinship care orphans, and orphans without guardianship rose from 2,677 yuan, 1,821 yuan, and 1,457 yuan to 2,727 yuan, 1,909 yuan, and 1,528 yuan, respectively. Furthermore, children whose parents are unable to fulfill guardianship responsibilities are entitled to a subsidy equal to at least 60% of the local subsidies allocated to kinship care orphans. Similarly, severely disabled or seriously ill children will receive no less than 50% of the subsidies designated for kinship care orphans.

Noteworthy is Huai’an’s consistent commitment to raising basic living allowance standards for disadvantaged children over the past nine years since the initiation of the classified supporting system in 2015. Aligned with the development indicators outlined in the “14th Five-Year Plan” for the civil affairs industry, the ratio between basic living allowance standards for kinship care orphans and institutionalized orphans increased from 68% to 70%, surpassing provincial targets and further narrowing the gap in support for kinship care orphans versus those in institutionalized care. This increase in minimum living guarantee standards directly benefits more vulnerable groups, including extremely poor individuals and those facing significant disabilities, thereby effectively expanding and enhancing social assistance.

According to statistics, in the first three quarters of this year, Huai’an disbursed a cumulative 282 million yuan in subsistence allowances, benefiting 34,000 households and 64,000 individuals receiving urban and rural subsistence allowances. Notably, 6,716 distressed children were incorporated into the basic nurturing guarantee system, with the city disbursing 60.11 million yuan in basic living allowances during the same period. Temporary assistance was extended to 13,300 individuals facing urgent emergencies, with a total disbursement of 10.56 million yuan, playing a pivotal role in ensuring the basic living conditions of vulnerable groups.