As of Aug 10, over 10,000 projects to relocate poor residents have been launched in about 1,100 counties in 22 provincial regions, including Guizhou, Sichuan, Guangxi and Shaanxi, according to the National Development and Reform Commission on Aug 21.

People’s Daily said 837,300 relocation apartments have begun construction, accounting for 75 percent of the total planned.

Data shows that there are 9.8 million impoverished people who need to be relocated during the period of China’s 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20). In 2016 alone, the population is set to reach 2.49 million, which is 2.7 times the number in 2015. Currently, 718 projects have been finished, accommodating 226,000 residents.

Leaders in the 22 provincial governments have started a coordination mechanism in order to implement the plan effectively and reach the goal this year.

As a significant measure to fight poverty in China, the program plans to relocate poor rural residents living in unfavorable environments, which make it difficult to make a living, such as deserts, alpine regions and seismically active zones. The government will help them build new homes and find jobs.

The relocation program will not be coercive, according to the official plan issued in 2015. It is expected to be done in five years.