China's capital Beijing has promised better services to ensure
the 4 million migrants will enjoy the same rights and privileges as
the locals in medication, children's education and family
planning.
The migrant population, especially surplus rural laborers who
have taken up non-agricultural jobs in Beijing, will be granted
equal treatment as the locals, which will provide them with medical
insurance and give their children equal access to schooling, the
Beijing News reported Friday.
Migrant women will enjoy the same low-cost health checkups and
medical services during pregnancy and childbearing, and their
children will get free vaccination against major epidemic diseases,
the metropolitan newspaper quoted Qiang Wei, deputy secretary of
the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, as
saying.
All these services will be provided to the migrants against
their ID, a temporary residence card issued by the local public
security bureau, it said.
"Beijing will set up a separate body for the management of the
flowing population," said Qiang. "We'll step up management of, as
well as upgrade services for the migrant millions. This is a key
issue in Beijing's urban development."
To that effect, he said the new organization will also
collaborate with other departments of the municipal government on
researches and policymaking pertaining to the inflow of migrants
and the city's capacity, overall planning, development and rational
allocation of urban resources.
Beijing had more than 15 million residents at the end of 2005,
including 11 million permanent residents -- or holders of Beijing's
"hukou" (a permanent household registration card), and at
least 4 million migrants, according to figures provided by the
municipal government.
(Xinhua News Agency March 10, 2006)