SCIO briefing on 2017 government work report
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E-mail China.org.cn, March 6, 2017
CNR:
There are many contents about the improvement and the protection of the people's livelihood in different parts of the 2017 government work report. As you have mentioned, it is a big gift package. Can you summarize the details of the gift package?
Huang Shouhong:
Everything we care about is included in the gift package. Employment has a vital bearing on people's livelihood. As long as the employment rate is high, it is acceptable, no matter whether the economic growth rate is higher or lower. Why has the steady growth been highlighted in recent years? It is to maintain a steady employment rate and benefit the people, which will mean that our society will be stable and our economy will grow. We will carry out a more active employment policy this year and increase our support [in this regard]. The number of college graduates will reach an historical high this year. Therefore, we must carry out the plans for employment promotion, encouragement of business startups, and grassroots growth. We need to eliminate any pockets of zero employment and ensure work for people from low income urban families and the disabled families.
Classified regulation is highlighted in the government work report to boost the healthy development of the real estate sector. Low-income housing will be guaranteed. Six million houses will be built during the renovation of shanty areas this year. What do six million houses mean? It means more than 20 million people can improve their living conditions if we judge this from the viewpoint of a family of three or four. There are many measures to ensure educational equality. For instance, we will unify the "Two Exemptions and One Subsidy" policy for compulsory education in urban and rural areas, which means exempting students from tuition fees, providing free textbooks for students, and providing living subsidy for student boarders in compulsory education. This means great support for rural students. Taking another example, we will speed up the coverage rate for all residents in regard to urban compulsory education public services and make sure migrant workers' children can gain an equal education in urban areas. Also, for several years we have been expanding the enrollment in key universities for students from poor areas. The enrollment ratio increased 20 percent last year and will continue to rise this year. This is aimed at creating a fair and better chance for children from poor areas.
Huang Shouhong:
In medical treatment, the medical insurance subsidy will be increased by 30 yuan (US$4.4) per capita from 420 yuan (US$60.9) to 450 yuan (US$65.2). The medicine coverage will also be expanded, with more reimbursement this year. The coverage of critical illness insurance program will also be expanded. The work report stresses the program of medical treatment combination will be enhanced this year. It means we will integrate hospitals of different levels from first-class hospitals to grass-root ones, with the aim of sharing the good medical resources. Therefore, patients can go to nearby hospitals and get good medical treatment close to their homes. The aim of the measures of medical treatment combination, the hierarchical medical system and family doctor signing service is to provide convenient medical service to the patients.
In social security, pensions will be increased this year. It is proposed that the natural disaster living allowance mechanism should be adjusted and improved. The government work report highlights that a coordinating mechanism should be established to guarantee the basic cost of living allowances in all county governments. It means we will do a better job in social security.
More efforts will be made in administrative reform with the aim of providing convenient public services in 2017. The government will reduce unnecessary procedure and other troublesome aspects by cancelling some licenses and sharing government information better with the public. There are a lot of measures not listed in government work report due to space limitations. For instance, the mode of one-stop service will be promoted in China.
To sum up, the big gift package is concerned with the aspects of employment, medical care, education, pension, housing and social security. All issues related with the people's livelihood are included in the big gift package. More specific measures will be introduced in the future.
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