Life improving for Tibetan monks

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Source: CCTV.com | 04-15-2008 08:38

The local government in Gannan Tibet Autonomous Prefecture in the northwestern province of Gansu is helping Tibetans improve their living standards. Buddhist monks in the region have also benefited over the years.

This monk has been here for more than eighty years. He used to depend on the temple for his livelihood.

This is a century-old Tibetan Buddhist temple. More than thirty monks here benefit from government subsidies.

A Tibetan monk said, "Every month I receive some money from the government's minimum living standard security system. I can afford to eat better food and buy better clothes."

This monk has been here for more than eighty years. He used to depend on the temple for his livelihood. But as more aging monks started to need help, the temple couldn't afford to assist them all. An official from the temple's administration committee says limited revenue made it difficult to help the monks.

A Temple Admin. Committee official said, "We used to reserve at least 10,000 yuan every year to help monks with living difficulties. Now the government subsidies have greatly relieved our financial burden."

The monks are also benefiting from China's rural cooperative medical insurance system. They only have to pay ten yuan each year to receive medical treatment. This monk used to have prostate problems and gallstones. The rural insurance system helped him cover the medical fees.

A Tibetan monk said, "Before I joined the system, I rarely went to the hospital because of medical costs. Now I can go to see a doctor without any worries."

More than 1,300 monks in the prefecture are benefiting from government living subsidies. And nearly 8,000 monks have joined the cooperative medical insurance system.

Editor:Zhang Ning