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 Raymond Zhou:
By jingo, they're mad!  Op Rana:
Consumerism and politics of waste   Ravi S. Narasimhan:
Lessons from SARS have to be applied  Alexis Hooi:
Beyond the death and destruction  Pension for farmers
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-18 14:02 Sanya city in Hainan province has taken the lead in applying a social security system to support rural residents who lose their land to urbanization. We applaud this move. In the last three decades, when China has undergone rapid development, cities have expanded into rural villages, and farmers have seen their fields turned into high rises. The rural population has dropped from 78 percent to 60 percent, with many young farmers leaving their villages to become migrant workers. Although they have been compensated for their land sales, the amount has varied from locale to locale. As a result, this became a source of conflict between farmers and developers, as the amount of compensation was often not enough to maintain a decent life.
This has been especially true for older farmers. Younger rural residents have been able to continue to earn a living by working in urban areas, but older villagers have often been left without a social safety net, either in terms of a pension or health insurance coverage. Under the new system, villagers who lose their land will receive job training, and a monthly pension when they reach a certain age, as well as medical coverage. Theoretically speaking, this pension, along with the compensation villagers receive for their land, will enable them to lead a relatively good life. The Hainan provincial government is now considering a similar policy. Policymakers must calculate carefully how much of a premium villagers should pay into the social security fund and how much they will get from it. The pension, along with the compensation they receive for their land must be enough to guarantee villagers a living standard higher than when they farmed. Hopefully, this move by Hainan will spark even more bright ideas nationwide to better protect the interests and rights of rural villagers who lose their land. 
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