In response to the national goal of building a moderately well-off society by 2020, East China's Zhejiang province has become determined to bring the annual disposable income of any low-income rural resident to above 8,000 yuan ($1,158) this year.

Per capita disposable income stood at an average of 7,232 yuan among the province's low-income rural residents in the first half of this year, up 13.4 percent year-on-year.

To counter the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zhejiang has decided to increase subsidies and allowances for the underprivileged. For example, the minimum living allowance for rural residents in Quzhou city has risen from 680 yuan per month prior to the pandemic to 770 yuan currently. In addition, the city's financial aid for the disabled and retired increased by more than 10 percent this year.

Furthermore, statistics show that the province's low-income rural residents' per capita net income from transfer payments rose by over 30 percent year-on-year in the first half of this year.

Local governments across the province have taken a series of measures to safeguard and expand sources of income for people in rural areas. For instance, Yunhe county in Lishui city offered subsidies to bee farmers who were hit hard by the pandemic and regularly hold free vocational training for them; Wuyi county in Jinhua city has begun offering commercial live-stream training programs, encouraging villagers to sell agricultural products via e-commerce platforms; and Suichang county in Lishui city has strengthened financial support for the tea industry.