HONG KONG - Each eligible Hong Kong resident will receive a one-off hand-out of HK$4,000 (about $500) in a scheme of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government, an official said on Friday.The Caring and Sharing Scheme will involve about 2.8 million residents and a total of HK$11 billion, said Paul Chan Mo-po, financial secretary of the Hong Kong SAR government.Under the new scheme, an eligible person who does not pay salaries tax will receive HK$4,000, and one who receives tax concession will get the difference between HK$4,000 and the amount of tax concession received.Eligible people include those who hold a Hong Kong identity card, ordinarily reside in Hong Kong and have reached the age of 18 on or before Dec 31 this year.They must not own any property in Hong Kong nor receive Comprehensive Social Security Assistance payments, Old Age Allowance, Old Age Living Allowance or Disability Allowance.Chan said people who pay no tax and live in self-owned domestic properties that benefit less than HK$4,000 in rates concession, or those who pay tax but benefit less than HK$4,000 through tax and rates concession in aggregate, can also apply for the balance.Social security recipients who are set to receive extra allowance under the 2018-19 Budget can also receive the difference between HK$4,000 and the extra payments received.Secretary for Labor and Welfare Law Chi-kwong said time is needed to handle the applications. He hoped the payments can be made before next year's budget. wristband designcustom wristbandsfidget spinner braceletsilicone keychain
Members of a voluntary rescue team in Shanghai's Zhujiajiao town patrol its waterways on charge boats. [CHINA DAILY] Pedestrians and cyclists in a busy riverside town outside of Shanghai can move about with more peace of mind thanks to the efforts of a highly trained rescue team. For over a decade, the team's patrols have helped prevent accidents, especially along the Dianpu River in Zhujiajiao - a town with a history of more than 1,700 years in suburban Qingpu district. Members perform various tasks, including fighting fires, emergency water rescues, and flood prevention and typhoon preparedness, according to Chen Chunhao, director of the Zhujiajiao's conscription office, which oversees the team. The team has several dozen members, he said. Half are ex-military and the rest are college graduates under 25. All are unpaid but receive free training, and were selected through exams and stamina tests. The group is officially classed as a militia, which still operate nationwide under guidance from local authorities. They play a part in protecting national security and respond to emergencies that threaten social stability. However, such groups are only armed during training with the military. We undertake more diversified duties - mainly covering the propagation of national defense knowledge and performing daily guard duty along the river - in addition to our basic security work, said Li Linjie, the team leader. For example, we rescued a 22-year-old woman who attempted to drown herself in the river in September. In January, the team also cleared heavy snow from the streets and laid skid-resistant straw mats to protect vehicles and pedestrians. On an average day, Zhujiajiao receives more than 40,000 tourists keen to take in the town's history and watery vistas, and accidents sometimes occur with children and the elderly trying to negotiate the river's slippery banks. We're ready for every mission, Li said. Every member also speaks a second language, to help foreign tourists in town. According to its members, the team's track record of success is due to its disciplined military-style management. A full set of equipment is available to us, including rescue and patrol boats, inflatable rafts, motorcycles and firefighting tools, said Yuan Heqiang, another team leader. Members undergo regular military training and physical conditioning, as well as study water-rescue and firefighting techniques. We even began using drones last year to quicken our emergency response time, Yuan said. Experts from the Qingpu Lifesaving Association and the Qingpu Red Cross Association are regularly invited to teach the team the latest techniques in water rescue and first aid. The emergency response team has become a key guardian of peace and security in Zhujiajiao, said Colonel Li Huilin of the Qingpu district's conscription office. Over the past 11 years, the unit has coped with more than 30 major disasters and 500 crises, helping prevent property losses of more than 8 million yuan ($1.21 million), especially before and during weather emergencies. [email protected]
