一、贫困状况及原因 内蒙古自治区地处祖国北部边疆,是一个典型的“老少边贫”地区。老区旗县25个,其中贫困县21个,占老区旗县总数的84％,1978年人均收入50元以下的人口157万,占老区总人口的27％,1985年人均收入200元以下的人口为193万,占老区总人口的23％,1993年300元以下的人口尚有89万人,占老区人口总数的15％。1995年末,全区254万贫困人口中,老区贫困人口达97万,占全区贫困面的38％。存在的主要问题: 一是贫困面大,解决温饱标准低、不稳定。全区老区贫困人口比重高出贫困户比重4个百分点,地处偏远山区、半山区、沙区和边境牧区,有20％以上返贫率。 二是基础设施差,生产条件落后,社会发育程度低,同其他地区差距拉大。如察右后旗有一半以上的自然村不通电。赤峰仅有的两个老区旗县宁城、喀喇沁18 I. Poverty and Causes Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is located in the northern frontier of the motherland and is a typical “poverty-stricken” region. In the old area, there are 25 counties, including 21 in poor counties, accounting for 84% of the total counties in old districts. In 1978, the population with a per capita income of less than 50 yuan was 1.57 million, accounting for 27% of the total population of the old districts. In 1985, the per capita income was below 200 yuan Accounting for 23% of the total population in the old urban areas. In 1993, there were still 890,000 people under 300 yuan, accounting for 15% of the total population in the old urban areas. At the end of 1995, among the 2.54 million poor people in the region, the poverty-stricken population in the old area reached 970,000, accounting for 38% of the poverty-stricken area in the region. The main problems are as follows: First, the poverty level is large, and the standard of adequate food and clothing is to be solved. It is unstable. The proportion of the poor living in the old districts of the region is 4 percentage points higher than the proportion of the poor. It is located in remote mountainous areas, semi-mountainous areas, sandy areas and pastoral areas with more than 20% of them returning to poverty. Second, poor infrastructure, backward production conditions, low social development and widening gap with other regions. For instance, more than half of the villages in Chajhou are not energized. Chifeng, the only two old districts County, Ning County, Kalaqin 18