(TibetanReview.net, Jan 26) – The Chinese government in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) is to spend 3 billion yuan over the next 3 years to build more affordable houses for “different groups” of people to promote harmonious development of society, reported China’s online Tibet news service eng.tibet.cn Jan 24. It said the money will be used to build 30,000 government subsidized houses. While 1 billion yuan is earmarked for low-rent houses the rest will be used for affordable houses to solve housing problems of low-income families.
“Local government is making efforts to increase low-cost and affordable houses, trying to meet the needs of different groups about houses and to promote the harmonious development of our society,” Wang Yalin, secretary of Party Committee in TAR construction department, was quoted as saying.
The report said that in 2007, the TAR began building 4,564 low-rent houses with a total investment of 477 million yuan, made up of 369 million yuan in financial subsidies and 108 in city matching funds. It said this was in addition to 3,832 Tibetans belonging to 1,056 needy families from Lhasa, Nyingchi, Xigaze, Nagqu areas having been moved into low-income houses.
And during the “11th Five Year Plan” period (2006-10), the TAR allocated 14,000 sets of houses to the cadres and workers, the report said.