The government of southwest China's Yunnan Province announced a series of preferential policies Tuesday to reward rural households for their adherence to the one child policy.
The preferential policies will take effect in 34 designated counties, cites and districts on August 1.
Under the new policies, one-child rural couples who voluntarilyadhere to the one-child limit and receive one-child certificates will be awarded 1,000 yuan.
The parents of one-child families will be given an annual living subsidy of 500 yuan each when they reach the age of 60. One-child families will also receive free textbooks and stationery.
As of the year 2002, Yunnan had a population of 43.33 million.Its birth rate was 17.9 per one thousand, above the national average. Yunnan's annual population increase is about 500,000, said Zhang Yuming, director of the provincial Family Planning Committee.
He expects the new policy to help reduce net population growth in the province.
(Xinhua News Agency July 10, 2003)
