Needy families to get funeral supplement

• Source: Global Times
• [02:35 December 24 2009]
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By Ji Beibei

Poor families that rely on the government for food and clothes will also now get support to meet the steep cost of a funeral service, under a guideline introduced by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, which also tightened the management of the funeral industry.

The guideline was issued after many expressed dissatisfaction about rising funeral costs, according to officials at the ministry.

The guideline says local governments will cover basic funeral service fees for people in need, such as low-income groups, families enjoying State guarantees on food, clothing, medical care and housing, and those died during serious natural disasters.

Basic services usually refer to transportation of bodies, refrigeration, cremation and ash keeping. Premium services such as urns, wreaths and tombs will still have to be covered by the families.

The free basic service will be given to all members of society on a gradual basis.

Governments will also tighten licensing terms of profit-making cemeteries and the duties of departments regulating the funeral industry will be clarified, the guideline said.

Officials at the department of civil affairs will not be allowed to invest in profit-making cemeteries or funeral service ventures and government officials will be prohibited from taking jobs at these places.

Several cities have already launched preferential policies this year including offering non-profit cemeteries for certain groups.

The municipal civil affairs bureau opened the first non-profit cemetery in Beijing on April 1. The cemetery offers free ash disposal to needy families and charge others around 2,000 yuan ($292) for shrine. The Beijing Municipal Government will pay 1,000 ($146) yuan to the cemetery.

The number of Beijingers who have applied for free ash disposal was not available Wednesday.