Minimum living standards for urban and rural residents with financial difficulties in Hechi city in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region have risen rapidly since July 1, according to the Hechi civil affairs bureau on Sept 7.

Apart from setting a standard for improving guaranteed minimum living standards, the city launched a reform of social assistance projects by simplifying administrative procedures and delegating power to the lower levels, including the governments of local towns and villages and community offices.

The city made available 544 million yuan (79.45 million ) to help the 2.7 million urban and rural residents with low-income in the first eight months of this year as part of efforts to ensure social assistance is carried out in an orderly manner.