The price of basic funeral and interment services will be set by the government, according to the draft amendment to the regulations on the management of funerals and interment publicized Friday by China's Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The draft amendment stipulated that the country will establish a system providing services from body transfer to eco-friendly burial. The prices will be set by the state.

The revision of the regulations aims to enhance management, promote the reform and standardize behaviors of funeral and interment, the draft said, adding that the revision will meet the citizens' demand and safeguard the dignity and public interest of the deceased.

Strict restrictions were imposed on the area of a tomb in a cemetery and the height of a tombstone, according to the draft.

In recent years, the high prices for a tomb in a cemetery, a tomb occupying too large of an area and the size of a tombstone have become a public concern.

The draft banned funeral and interment service institutions from forced or tie-in sales. It also forbade the institutions to restrict the use of legal funeral supplies brought by family members of the deceased.

The draft has been published online to solicit public opinions until Oct. 7.

The current regulations on funeral and interment were proclaimed by the State Council in July 1997.

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