Agriculture issues top motions put forth
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-03-12 01:11

An ancient and valuable species of tree has sprouted in the current session of the National People's Congress.

The gingko, or maidenhair tree, an ancient and valuable species, caught wide attention as more than 111 deputies to the on-going Second Session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC) proposed to list it as the "National Tree."

However, even though the motion got the largest number of deputies' signatures among all the 1,374 motions introduced, it still cannot beat out the rural issue as the spotlight of the ongoing sessions of the NPC and the Chinese People Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Issues surrounding farmers, agriculture, their income and their rights, made up about 10 per cent of the motions introduced. It is the largest block of motions around a similar issue received by the secretariat of this year's NPC session, said Peng Yibing, an official from the motions handling group of the congress.

Zheng Wantong, secretary-general of the 10th National Committee of the CPPCC, said the rural sector issue also tops the concerns of more than 2,000 CPPCC members, who put forward a total of 4,313 proposals to the secretariat of the CPPCC session by March 8.

Meanwhile, both the motions and proposals raised by NPC deputies and CPPCC members also touch on issues ranging from the right protection of special groups including beggars in cities, public safety issues related to the workplace, food, public health, and medicine to judicial fairness.

More than 70 per cent of the total motions received by the evening of March 10, the deadline to submit NPC motions, are linked to the promulgation and revision of laws.

Meanwhile, over 40 per cent of the CPPCC proposals by the national advisers are related to economic issues.

Raising motions is a major channel for NPC deputies to exercise their law-making and supervision power; and putting forward proposals is the most effective and direct way that CPPCC members to participate in state affairs and the drafting of national policies.

A provincial-level delegation of deputies to the NPC, or a group of at least 30 NPC deputies can submit motions, including bills and proposals, to the NPC plenary session.

These motions are handed over to the nine NPC special working committees, such as lawmaking, to decide whether to put them into the agenda of the NPC plenary session or the agenda of the NPC Standing Committee.

Statistics indicated that a total of 338 of all the 1,050 NPC motions put forth last year have finally won further examination.