The number of low-income households and individuals in Taiwan reached 146,000 and 357,000 respectively as of the end of last year, up 13.8 percent and 13.7 percent from a year earlier, statistics released by the Ministry of the Interior showed on Saturday.
As of the end of last year, the country had 89,000 low-to-medium-income households (also known as the near-poor) totaling 282,000 people, according to the ministry figures.
The ministry said 35,000 low- income and low-to-medium income households totaling 639,000 people were approved for financial aid under the amended Social Assistance Act (社會救助法), representing 2.9 percent of the nation’s total households and 2.7 percent of the total population.
The act, which took effect in July 2011, lowered the income threshold to define poor and near-poor people, making more Taiwanese eligible for financial support.
The number of Taiwanese applying for aid under the new definition continued to rise last year, accounting for some of the increase in those identified in Taiwan as poor, the ministry said.
The three cities with the highest number of low-income families and individuals approved for social support as of the end of last year were Greater Kao-hsiung, New Taipei City (新北市) and Taipei.
Taitung, Penghu and Pingtung counties had the highest percentage of individuals and households receiving low-income subsidies.
The ministry said that last year, cities and counties around the country spent a total of NT$11.5 billion (US$387.34 million) on social welfare, including NT$10.98 billion on financial aid for the poor and near poor.
Spending on social assistance increased by NT$2.93 billion year-on-year, with subsidies for living support increasing by NT$2.8 billion.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
RSS