The Beijing municipal government announced on Friday 59 specific
projects for the public welfare next year with housing assurance
topping its agenda. The projects also include hot issues such as
medical care, transportation and dog raising.
The government started collecting public opinions on its work
for 2008 at the end of September 2007. Nearly 10,000 ideas were
voiced via telephone hotline, email and letters in just 20 days.
The public concerns mostly focused on urban management, housing,
employment and social security. The government accordingly mapped
out 59 specific projects and published them on its website for
further comments and suggestions before January 4.
Following are some of the proposed projects:
Housing
In 2008, the government will construct and purchase low-rent
apartments of 500,000 square meters. 1,400 resident compounds will
be renovated to benefit 10,000 households.
Dog raising
The city's financial department will earmark 1.9 million yuan
for regulating dog raising. The project includes regulation
publicity, stray dogs care and raisers training.
Community service
Communities will set up household health files and personal
health files next year. All the community clinics will provide
traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) services. The clinics will
increase types of non-profit medicine to relieve residents' medical
burden.
Transportation
A total of 1,000 parking spaces will be added along 100 sub-main
roads. In the meantime some underground civil defense projects will
be reconstructed into 10,000 parking spaces in communities. A plan
for passenger transportation in the countryside will be implemented
to ensure lower transportation fees.
Environment protection
Beijing will see 70 percent of next year with clear skies when
the air quality reaches level 2 or higher. About 50,000 households
will abandon traditional stoves and use clean energy for
heating.
Medical care
The medical insurance system will expand to cover all urban
residents of the working age. Elderly residents without social
security will be covered by the old-age pension system under which
the elderly at 90 and above will enjoy senior pensions.
Food
The system of source-tracking for food safety will be enlarged
to cover 20 butcheries and processing plants, 55 large- and
medium-sized stores and supermarkets, and 6 major agricultural
products wholesale markets.
(China.org.cn by Huang Shan, December 30, 2007)