The subsidized residents include senior citizens, handicapped people, and children in rural areas, said Yang Xiaorong, an official with the department of civil affairs of Tibet.

 

The minimum subsistence allowance in Tibet has been raised to an annual amount of 4,713 yuan (about 693 U.S. dollars) per person in 2020, from 2,350 yuan in 2015, according to Yang.

 

Konqung, unable to work at the age of 86 and with no one taking care of him, is one of the recipients of the allowance.

 

"I moved to an old people's home in the city last year, and now I receive an annual allowance of thousands of yuan from the government," said Konqung. "I have nothing to worry about now."

 

Tibet has accomplished the historic feat of eradicating absolute poverty. By the end of 2019, it had lifted 628,000 people out of poverty and delisted 74 county-level areas from the poverty list.