This year's government work report proposes to increase the monthly minimum standard for basic pension for urban and rural residents by another 20 yuan. This means that the basic pension for urban and rural residents will be increased from 143 yuan to 163 yuan. The government work reports for 2024 and 2025 respectively propose to increase the monthly minimum standard for basic pension for urban and rural residents by 20 yuan. At present, about 180 million people in China are receiving basic old-age pensions for urban and rural residents, with farmers accounting for over 70%. Farmers' pension is a hot topic at this year's Two Sessions. Zheng Gongcheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and President of the Chinese Society for Social Security, said that the basic pension insurance system for urban and rural residents, with farmers as the main body, is one of the three major statutory pension systems in China. The pension system for farmers, which was piloted in 2009 and fully covered in 2012, reflects the advantages of China's system. The minimum monthly basic pension for urban and rural residents in some regions has increased faster than the national average. For example, Sichuan increased by 30 yuan last year, reaching 193 yuan per person per month. Zheng Gongcheng said that in the past three years, the dual efforts of the state and local governments have meant that the basic pension for urban and rural residents has entered a stage of accelerated increase. Zheng Gongcheng believes that the basic pension system for urban and rural residents adopts a composite model of "welfare+insurance", starting with welfare, and the level is naturally limited. The basic pension level for urban and rural residents in our country is not sufficient to solve the problem of basic living sources for the elderly, and it must be continuously accelerated to meet the needs of elderly residents. Is there still room for improvement in the basic pension for urban and rural residents? Du Zhixiong, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Secretary of the Party Committee of the Institute of Rural Development of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, mentioned that there are differences in the level of pension payments for farmers in different parts of the country. The suburban areas of some developed cities may have higher pension rates, but most farmers in the central and western regions have lower pension levels, around 200-300 yuan per month. But with the development of the economy and society, the expenditure on elderly care continues to increase. In this sense, the current level of pension for farmers needs to be improved. 2026 is the starting year of the 15th Five Year Plan. The draft outline of the 15th Five Year Plan clearly proposes to gradually increase the basic pension for urban and rural residents. Du Zhixiong stated that the increase in the minimum standard of basic pension must be consistent with the country's resource supply capacity, "not only to satisfy high appetites, but also to act within our capabilities". The actual pension received by residents can be divided into two parts: financial subsidies and personal contributions. Among them, financial subsidies are divided into two parts: national minimum standards and local government subsidies. The government work report mentioned the former, which belongs to the "minimum guarantee money". Zheng Gongcheng suggested that only by mobilizing the enthusiasm of residents to participate in insurance can we expand the resident pension insurance fund. Therefore, efforts should be made to motivate residents to actively participate in insurance. An effective measure is to find those who share the responsibility for paying premiums. The current approach is to provide limited subsidies from the government's finances. In the future, the financial subsidies for insured farmers should be increased, and the policy of investing in people should be implemented to incentivize farmers to participate in insurance. At the same time, the responsibility of farmers to participate in insurance and pay premiums should be shared through the development of the collective economy. (New Society)