Beijing: As many as 199 million Chinese joined the country’s rural pension insurance programme by the end of June, an official said.
Ministry of Human Resource and Social Security spokesperson Yin Chengji said 54.08 million rural residents had started to receive pensions from the state-subsided programme that covered nine municipalities and provinces, reported the People’s Daily.
China launched a pilot pension programme for its 800 million-strong rural population in August, 2009, as part of efforts to narrow the standard-of-living gap between rural and urban residents.
Any rural resident over the age of 16 who does not take part in the government’s existing urban pension scheme is eligible to join the government-subsidised programme. (IANS)