The Beijing municipal government announced on Friday 59 specific projects for the public welfare next year with housing assurance topping its agenda. The projects also include hot issues such as medical care, transportation and dog raising.

The government started collecting public opinions on its work for 2008 at the end of September 2007. Nearly 10,000 ideas were voiced via telephone hotline, email and letters in just 20 days. The public concerns mostly focused on urban management, housing, employment and social security. The government accordingly mapped out 59 specific projects and published them on its website for further comments and suggestions before January 4.

Following are some of the proposed projects:

Housing

In 2008, the government will construct and purchase low-rent apartments of 500,000 square meters. 1,400 resident compounds will be renovated to benefit 10,000 households.

Dog raising

The city's financial department will earmark 1.9 million yuan for regulating dog raising. The project includes regulation publicity, stray dogs care and raisers training.

Community service

Communities will set up household health files and personal health files next year. All the community clinics will provide traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) services. The clinics will increase types of non-profit medicine to relieve residents' medical burden.

Transportation

A total of 1,000 parking spaces will be added along 100 sub-main roads. In the meantime some underground civil defense projects will be reconstructed into 10,000 parking spaces in communities. A plan for passenger transportation in the countryside will be implemented to ensure lower transportation fees.

Environment protection

Beijing will see 70 percent of next year with clear skies when the air quality reaches level 2 or higher. About 50,000 households will abandon traditional stoves and use clean energy for heating.

Medical care

The medical insurance system will expand to cover all urban residents of the working age. Elderly residents without social security will be covered by the old-age pension system under which the elderly at 90 and above will enjoy senior pensions.

Food

The system of source-tracking for food safety will be enlarged to cover 20 butcheries and processing plants, 55 large- and medium-sized stores and supermarkets, and 6 major agricultural products wholesale markets.

(China.org.cn by Huang Shan, December 30, 2007)