The Shanghai Municipal Population and Family Planning Committee recently promulgated a new rule for single-child parents. The rule, which became effective as of July, 1, stipulates that parent of a single-child family, if he or she is a Shanghai native, can receive a "retirement award" once they no longer work. According to the new rule, Shanghai citizens who have married foreign nationals can also apply for the award.

In Shanghai, the number of transnational marriages has been on the rise. If a couple of such cross-cultural marriage is willing to raise only one child throughout their life, the husband or the wife who is a Shanghai local citizen can apply for the Single-Child Awarding Certificate after the child is born. With this certificate, such families can receive the "retirement award" and the single child allowance given to them every month, just like all the other local single-child families.

According to the new rule, the "Shanghai Family Planning Award and Allowance Regulations", single-child parents already covered by the local urban pension system can each also receive 2,300 yuan to be paid in a lump sum as a retirement award when they no longer work.

The new "Regulations" also states that if the child is injured or dies in an accident, the government will give compensation for his or her parents and the total amount can be up to over 10,000 yuan. For the jobless, farmers, and farmers whose lands have been transformed into industrial use, the "Regulations" also sets details on how these people can apply for the retirement award.

According to related authorities' calculation, about 200 million yuan are allocated every year by various governments and public institutions in Shanghai as an award to single-parent families.

(Chinanews.cn July 4, 2006)