Inner Mongolia autonomous region made great progress in poverty alleviation in 2019 – lifting over 140,000 people out of penury – according to the government work report released at the third session of the 13th People's Congress of Inner Mongolia autonomous region in Hohhot on Jan 12.

According to the report, last year Inner Mongolia invested 9.92 billion yuan ($1.44 billion) in special funds to alleviate destitution, of which the investment in deep poverty areas increased by 23.4 percent. 

A total of 676 impoverished villages in 20 counties and banners were lifted out of penury, officials said.

Meanwhile, last year Inner Mongolia achieved the goal that no student dropped out of school due to poverty in the compulsory education phase.

Officials said that all the region's poor were included in the basic medical insurance, critical illness insurance and medical assistance coverage for urban and rural residents. The treatment rate of poor patients reached 99.9 percent.

In addition, Inner Mongolia renovated the decrepit dwellings of 8,073 poverty-stricken households and solved drinking water safety problems for 46,170 people in 21,000 households.

The fiber access rate in poverty-stricken villages in Inner Mongolia reached 99 percent, and a large-scale data platform for precision poverty alleviation was built in the region.

Officials said that a total of 142,900 poverty-stricken people, identified in Inner Mongolia's development goal in the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), had completed relocation for poverty alleviation.

They added that Inner Mongolia also took the lead in launching pilots for inventories and the management of poverty alleviation assets across the region.