China's poverty alleviation budget will increase by 43.4 percent this year, a move that is expected to lift at least 10 million people from the throes of poverty by the end of this year.

This was announced by Premier Li Keqiang in his government work report delivered last Saturday, reported the China Daily.

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With its promise "not to leave a single family behind," the Central Government envisions to uplift the living conditions of at least 55 million poor rural folk in the next five years.

This is in line with the China government's goal of reducing the country's poverty level, and building a moderately progressive prosperous society by 2020.

In November, 22 provincial, autonomous region and city leaders coming from Central and Western China signed a signed a "responsibility agreement" with the Central government, in which they agreed to be evaluated.

Legislators who participated in the two sessions also threw their full support behind the initiative.

"The remaining 55 million are the poorest and most difficult group," noted Fan Xiaojian, a member of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Fan, who leads a State Council panel on poverty alleviation, however explained that China's slower economy, decreasing natural resources, environmental degradation and "repoverty" (the return to poverty) have put pressure on the Central Government in achieving its poverty reduction target.

The Chinese Government hopes to address these challenges through its proposed 13th Five-Year Plan, which identifies the nation's development priorities from 2016 to 2020.

In particular, the draft plan proposes support for poor villages in order to help them develop their own featured products and services.

To empower these impoverished communities, the plan highlighted e-commerce as a key tool to enable villagers to sell their wares; utilize photovoltaic technology to boost infrastructure construction; and boost rural tourism to attract more visitors.

According to official data, China has already lifted about 700 million people out of poverty over the past four decades, with of 95.5 million people in the countryside overcoming poverty from the period 2011 to 2014.

Tagschina, China poverty, Premier Li Kequiang, Chinese government