The State Council Development-Oriented Poverty Alleviation Leading Group is a deliberative and coordinating organ. Formed in May 16, 1986 and known as the State council Economic Development in Poor Areas Leading Group, it did not change to the current name until December 28, 1993. And in May 1998, it underwent reshuffle with vice premier Wen Jiabao heading the Group. Its members include: leading comrades from the State Council general office, planning commission, economic and trade commission, financial ministry, the people’s Bank, ministry of education, science and technology ministry, civil affairs commission, ministry of labor and social security, land and resource, communication, water conservancy, agriculture and public health, family planning commission, environment bureau, statistic bureau, forest bureau, agricultural bank, trade union, youth league, women’s federation, supply and sales cooperative, federation of the disabled .The Group is tasked with organizing research, drafting policies and programs, coordinating the efforts to solve the major issues in development and construction, prompting, inspecting and summarizing as well as sharing experience.

    The primary task of the leading group is set out as followed: 
    Organize investigation and subsequent research; formulate guidelines, policies and plan for developing the economy in backward areas; coordinate the efforts to tackle the key issues arising from the development initiatives; supervise, inspect the development projects and facilitate the exchange of lessons acquired。
    An office is established under the leading group, namely State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, which is in charge of daily work of poverty alleviation and development.
    (1) Research and formulate policies of poverty alleviation and development, work out the planning and organize the implementation of the policies;
    (2) Coordinate all circles of the society in poverty alleviation endeavors, coordinate and organize the target-oriented poverty alleviation works assigned by the central state organs and coordinate the paired poverty alleviation efforts between the well-developed East and the poverty-stricken West;
   (3) Work out the standard of supporting the poverty population in the rural area and the key counties under the state’s poverty alleviation and development program, research and propose to identify/include and cancel such key counties into/out of the list;
   (4) Organize the statistics and dynamic monitoring of poverty alleviation and development status, and instruct the statistic and monitoring work of the poverty alleviation system;
   (5) Coordinate and formulate the central government’s poverty alleviation fund allocation plan; instruct, inspect and supervise the use of poverty alleviation fund, and instruct the trans-regional key poverty alleviation projects;
   (6) Organize the propaganda of poverty alleviation and development;
   (7) Take charge of international exchange and cooperation on poverty alleviation issues;
   (8) Undertake the training on poverty alleviation and development to the cadres in the poverty-stricken regions of the whole country;
   (9) Undertake other issues and tasks assigned by the State Council Leading Group of Poverty Alleviation and Development.

    Relevant organizations have been set up in the governments at provincial/prefectural/county levels, which are responsible for local poverty alleviation and development works. Chinese poverty alleviation and development work adopts a system of hierarchical structure of responsibilities taken by the administrative heads primarily at the provincial level. All provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government, especially those with large poverty-stricken area, have taken the issue of poverty alleviation as the major task in their agenda and worked out the concrete plan of local poverty alleviation in accordance with the state’s poverty alleviation and development program. The Central Government allocates the poverty alleviation fund to the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government in a lump sum at the beginning of each year, while the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government are obliged to use the fund, exercise the power, perform the tasks and take the responsibilities strictly according to the general arrangement and regulations of the state. The entire poverty alleviation fund allocated to the provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government) shall be used according to the unified arrangement of the government at the provincial level under the projects, which are to be planned and executed by the relevant organs.