In 2013, Tibet has reduced the number of poor people by 128,000, decreasing its percentage in the rural and pastoral areas from 23.97 to 18.73 of the regional total, Xinhua reported. 　　

Losang Jamcan, chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region （TAR）people’s government said, 2,025 poverty alleviation projects were conducted in 2013 with a surplus of seven billion yuan in discount loans, double that of the beginning of 2013.

By now, the number of poor people has reduced from 585,000 at the end of 2012 to 457,000.

In 2013, Tibet has improved its poverty alleviation mechanism by ad hoc projects guidance, tracking professional training programs, social support and aiding Tibet by other provinces.

"Lack of technology and funding are the two big challenges in helping most Tibetans shake off poverty," said Chonyi Yarphel, party secretary of the Poverty Reduction Office of the TAR. "The program of mutual help has effectively solved the problem."　

Since 2013, Tibet created the unique program of mutual help in which five or ten households form a unit with one head appointed to achieve common wealth.

"The program has become a good way for the farmers and herders in our county to increase their incomes," said Bata, party secretary of Bangoin County in west Tibet’s Ngari Prefecture. "The unified households formed economic cooperative organizations to provide labor service, which had earned 20 billion yuan."

It is reported that Tibet’s departments concerned have been improving its microloan unified guarantee system, in which three to seven small enterprises combined form a unified guarantee group to apply for loans so that more farmers and herders can access loans.

In 2013, Tibet allocated a total of 20,000 unified guarantee microloans worth 600 million yuan, established 1,726 economic cooperative organizations and entities, which have enriched 143,000 people in 26,000 households with a total income of 125 million yuan.

According to the national standard enforced from 2011, people with an annual income of less than 2,300 yuan are defined as living in poverty, source from Xinhua.

Note: one US dollar equals to 6.10 yuan.