Xizang to inject additional expenditure into livelihood projects

LHASA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region will allocate an additional 2 billion yuan (about 280.4 million U.S. dollars) to launch ten new livelihood initiatives, the regional government has said.

These supplementary initiatives -- focusing on income augmentation, childcare support, elderly care services, and healthcare improvements -- will complement the region's existing 14.8 billion yuan allocation for 28 ongoing welfare projects throughout 2025.

Key policies include free neonatal medical insurance, childcare subsidies for families with children aged under three, winter heating subsidies for low-income households, increased accidental injury insurance payouts, higher basic pensions, and enhanced health checks and heating allowances for high-altitude workers.

Seven of the ten initiatives offer universal coverage, while three target vulnerable groups and distinguished contributors to society, the government added.

In recent years, Xizang has prioritized addressing urgent and difficult problems affecting its residents, and also planning and implementing a range of practical livelihood programs.

Since 2021, over 80 percent of Xizang's annual fiscal expenditure has been directed to public welfare. Total livelihood spending from 2021 to 2024 reached 860.1 billion yuan. In 2024 alone, such expenditure hit 245.5 billion yuan, accounting for a record 84 percent of the region's fiscal budget.