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The Chinese government has worked hard to care for people's well-being, create more jobs and administer social security work well, Premier Wen Jiabao said Friday in a report on the government work delivered at the annual session of the national legislature.
Last year, governments at all levels conscientiously implemented a series of measures drawn up by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council for increasing employment and reemployment and increased their efforts, capital spending and policy support in this regard.
"We consider it highly important to protect the vital interests of the people and help them, especially the needy, in solving problems in their work and daily lives," he said.
Last year, the central government allocated an additional 4.7 billion yuan of subsidies for job creation and increased employment guidance and services for college graduates. By the end of last year, 83 percent of the year's graduates from regular institutions of higher learning had found jobs, 600,000 more than the previous year.
To continued ensuring the "two guarantees" (guaranteeing that the living allowances for workers laid off from state-owned enterprises and that the pensions of retirees are paid on time and in full) and the "three-stage guarantee" for laid-off workers, the central government spent 70 billion yuan in 2003, 19.9 percent more than the previous year; of this sum, subsidies for subsistence allowances for the urban poor increased from 4.6 billion yuan in 2002 to 9.2 billion yuan in 2003. This allowed 22.35 million urban residents throughout the country to receive such benefits.
In 2003, the central government began making annual allocations of special funds to help local governments assist ex-servicemen who are working in enterprises to solve their financial difficulties. Benefits were again raised for disabled revolutionary servicemen and other people who are entitled to special care by the government.
(Xinhua News Agency March 5, 2004)
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