Social welfare in Tibet

All 29,000 monks and nuns in Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region have been integrated into the social welfare system, announced the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China Committee in Tibet.

Under the system, monks and nuns have access to social welfare benefits including a pension, health and accident insurance as well as subsistence allowances and a free annual physical examination. Nursing homes for monks and nuns have also been built in the region, reported the Xinhua News Agency on Monday.

The central government has allocated over 13 million yuan ($2.14 million) to Tibet every year since 2011 to build up the region's social welfare system. Local authorities have issued a series of preferential policies for monks and nuns and the local investment in monasteries and people has amounted to over 800 million yuan.