A poverty relief initiative designed to help households living below the poverty line in Chongchuan district, started in the area's Rengang residential community on Jan 8.

The initiative is held every year during China's Spring Festival period to provide extra help to families struggling over the holiday period.

A total of 13 local government departments in Chongchuan participated in this year's effort, with 4.72 million yuan ($695,400) spent on helping 20,000 needy local residents. 

Poverty has been a particularly focus of the district's government in recent years, with administrators spending 2.51 billion yuan on actions designed to boost living standards. The money spent by authorities during 2018 alone, represents a 10.1 percent increase on the previous year. 

In addition, government assistance has helped create 11,200 new jobs and provided the finance for 1,500 local residents to start their own businesses.