A pledge has been made by the Chinese government to cut the number of people in absolute poverty in rural areas by three million this year, said a senior poverty relief official in Beijing on Thursday.

The number of poor people earning less then US$85 a year, the country's poverty line, has fallen by more than 100 million to 23.65 million since the government launched its campaign against rural poverty in 1986.

The government would increase investment and help in the creation of more rural businesses and jobs, said Liu Jian, director of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development.

The work plan for 2007 also included professional training for one million poor farmers and lifting at least 20,000 villages out of poverty.

The government would improve management of the poverty alleviation fund and crack down on any misappropriation to ensure it was properly used, Liu said.

The government channeled 13.4 billion yuan (US$1.7 billion) into poverty alleviation last year and that amount is to be increased.

(Xinhua News Agency January 26, 2007)