Pingnan raises allowance standards for the needy

( chinadaily.com.cn )

Updated: 2013-04-19

Lu Guifang, a widow in Pingnan county, Fujian province, believes life will be easier for her.

On April 12, she received 600 yuan ($96) in allowance from county authorities for the first three months of 2013. Before that, she would receive only 100 yuan per month.

Lu only has two daughters. Lacking male labor in her family, life is especially hard.

To the joy of her and 61 other similar families in Pingnan, the county authorities raised the allowance for widows and orphans starting this year to 200 yuan per month.

The allowance system began on July 1, 2011, and covers orphans and widows without sons. The allowance is no longer paid when the youngest child of the family grows to 16 years old or the widow re-marries.

A total of 38,000 yuan has been paid to such families so far in Pingnan.

Edited by Lin Hong and Michael Thai