Chinese President Hu Jintao Tuesday asked provincial and ministerial heads to attach importance and take concrete actions to boost rural development.

"Building a socialist new countryside is a major historic mission set by our Party," Hu Jintao, who is also the general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, told a seminar on building a socialist new countryside.

He asked all CPC members and the whole nation to work jointly to make the drive "a project for the people" that truly benefits the vast number of farmers.

Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Wu Guanzheng, Li Changchun and Luo Gan also attended the opening ceremony chaired by Zeng Qinghong, a members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, vice Chinese president and president of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee.

Hu said that in building a well-off society in an all-round way in China, the most arduous tasks are in the countryside. To accelerate China's modernization, it is imperative to properly handle the relationships of industry and agriculture and urban and rural areas.

Hu Jintao defined the major tasks for building a socialist new countryside at present and in the coming period as follows:

-- comprehensively strengthening the productive forces of the countryside.

-- making "increasing farmers' income" a central task.

-- boosting grass-roots democracy in the countryside and improving transparency in village affairs.

-- boosting spiritual civilization and accelerating the development of education and culture in rural areas to cultivate "new-type" farmers.

-- boosting harmony, caring for the lives of farmers, improving health and strengthening social administration in the countryside.

-- pushing forward reform in various fields to enhance the vitality of agricultural and rural development comprehensively.

He asked the Party committees and governments at all levels to start with "matters that farmers most care about and are most anxious to address and matters that produce effects most easily" and bring concrete benefits to the farmers constantly.

He asked all cadres to care about the sufferings of the farmers, respect their wishes, safeguard their interests and enhance their well-being.

Participants in the seminar, held at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, are the heads of provinces, ministries and organizations at this level.

(Xinhua News Agency February 15, 2006)