Campaign sees cellphones as new kind of farm implement

A number of ministry-level departments, including those responsible for agriculture, finance and information technology, have responded recently to matters of public concern.

Farmers given training in livestreaming, marketing

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has launched a weeklong campaign to teach farmers how to use cellphone applications.

The campaign, launched on Thursday, will see 19 online and offline events staged across the country. Local authorities will then carry out a series of training activities for the rest of the year.

Ministry official Chen Yong said the campaign aimed to help bring agricultural produce into cities through the use of cellphones.

Describing cellphones as a new kind of farm implement, Chen said farmers would be trained in livestreaming via mobile phones, shortvideo marketing and the safe use of phones.

The campaign is part of the country's efforts to alleviate poverty, build a moderately prosperous society in all respects and revitalize rural development.

Special local government bond issuance up 51%

The value of newly issued special local government bonds in China reached 2.56 trillion yuan ($369.9 billion) by Aug 16, 51 percent more than in the same period last year, the Ministry of Finance said.

The use of funds raised by the bonds has also accelerated, with 2 trillion yuan having been spent by the end of July, it said.

The ministry said it will properly handle the pace of issuance, ensure it is orderly and steady, and try to achieve this year's issuance target by the end of October. It also vowed to optimize the investment of funds raised by the bonds.

China plans to issue 3.75 trillion yuan of special local government bonds this year, 1.6 trillion yuan more than last year.

Plan calls for big data to tackle telecom fraud

China will make good use of new-generation information technologies such as big data to establish a long-term mechanism to prevent telecommunication network fraud, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Aug 19.

According to a work plan issued by the ministry, the utilization of big data will help in carrying out targeted and effective governance to prevent such fraud.

To improve supervision capabilities, the work plan proposes the establishment of a cross-checking mechanism for fraudulent resources across the entire network.

The mechanism would clean up high-risk IP addresses and domain names in a timely manner and prevent fraud risks.

Efforts will also be made to explore the implementation of a black list of fraudulent and untrustworthy enterprises, it said.

Wastage of food by tourists under scrutiny

China is considering whether to revise guidelines for the country's hospitality industry and tourist attractions to include provisions targeting the wastage of food, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said at a meeting on Aug 17.

A news release published on the ministry's website after the meeting said a special campaign will be launched to guide the operators of scenic spots, hotels and restaurants to fulfill their responsibilities, strengthen self-discipline, advocate civilized tourism and help to curb the wastage of food.

Various publicity activities will be carried out to ramp up public awareness of the traditional virtue of thrift.

The ministry will also require managers of travel agencies and tour guides to remind tourists of the importance of thriftiness, the news release said.