Environmental issues top legislature's agenda

BEIJING - China's top legislature will focus on handling lawmakers' proposals on environmental issues this year, the deputy secretary-general of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee said Tuesday.

The NPC will be devoted to dealing with deputies' proposals on promoting the sound development of urbanization, strengthening eco-protection in key areas, improving eco-compensation mechanisms, beefing up the construction of irrigation and water conservancy infrastructure and offering better support to impoverished regions, He Yehui said at a meeting held by the General Office of the NPC Standing Committee.

These proposals were selected from the total of 7,569 proposals submitted during the first annual session of the 12th NPC, which concluded in mid-March, according to He.

Other issues covered in the selected proposals include deepening medical reform and improving both the rural and urban medical and healthcare systems, enhancing the social relief system, boosting the close integration of the economy with science and technology, building the technological innovation system, eliminating outdated capacity and promoting industrial upgrading, supporting the development of clean energy and safeguarding network information security, He added.

Wang Chen, a vice chairman and secretary-general of the NPC Standing Committee, urged the leaders of departments and organizations involved in addressing these issues to make appropriate arrangements. He also told relevant special committees of the NPC to intensify supervision.

Since 2005, the NPC has selected a batch of deputy proposals that it will focus on handling each year, a move to push forward the implementation of decisions and planning mapped out by central authorities.