Chinese Vice-Premier Wen Jiabao has called on officials at all levels to work conscientiously to improve the living standards of farmers and urban dwellers with a humble income.
This must be set as a primary task of building a well-off society in an all-round way and a major measure to expand domestic demand and promote economic growth, Wen said when he was visiting poverty-stricken families in the northern province of Shanxi between Thursday and Saturday.
On learning that some farmers seeking jobs in cities often find their salaries defaulted or embezzled, Wen asked relevant departments to take an instant step to stop such irregularities and defend the legitimate rights and interests of farmers.
He said to build of a well-off China in an all-round way, the issues of agriculture, rural economy and farmers deserve more attention, and every possible way must be tried to increase farmers' incomes.
To improve people's capability of fighting against natural disasters, especially those in poverty-stricken areas, construction of infrastructure facilities such roads and water and electricity supply systems must be quickened.
Meanwhile, fee-for-tax reforms must be forged ahead so as to alleviate the financial burdens of farmers whose annual income mainly comes from grain crops.
He said agricultural restructuring should be pushed forward quickly in a way that can boost the industrialization of the rural economy and the development of high-yield and environment-friendly agriculture.
The vice-premier also called for effort to earnestly carry out the grain-for-green drive to convert more farmland to grassland and forest, and seriously implement the tax reduction and exemption policies in disaster-hit areas.
In cities, the service industry, medium-sized and small enterprises as well as the private sector should be further boosted to create more job opportunities, he said when visiting some workers laid off from state-owned enterprises.
He also stressed the importance of granting full-amount basic living subsidies and retirement pensions on time to the urban poor and retired workers.
Governments at various levels must move to slash unnecessary expenditure and strive to increase financial revenue, and the central government will channel more capital input to poverty-stricken areas to secure the basic life of the needy, Wen said.
(Xinhua News Agency January 6, 2003)
