A local law is to take effect soon in east China's Anhui Province, allowing some families to have second children.

These include families where both husband and wife come from single child families, ethnic minorities, families whose first child is handicapped and has no hope of ever entering the work force, and rural families whose first child is a girl.

According to local legislators, the law was approved recently by the Standing Committee of the Anhui Provincial People's Congress in line with China's Population and Family Planning Law and is to come into force on September 1.

The country's law encourages Chinese to marry and bear children late, as well to have one child only. However it also empowers local legislators at provincial level to frame laws permitting specific families to have second children.

China has been bent on slowing down its population growth as it has nearly 1.3 billion people and a 1.07 percent annual population growth. Statistics show China's population will peak at 1.6 billion people in the near future.

(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2002)