SUPERVISION WORK SAVES LIVES

    The NPC Standing Committee, has saved people's lives through its law enforcement inspections that led to closures of many deadly mines and polluting plants, according Chairman Wu.

    The NPC Standing Committee inspected the implementation of six laws last year, including law on work safety.

    "Work safety incidents, which always involve losses of human lives, attracted wide public attention. Therefore, in 2005, the NPC Standing Committee examined the work safety law implementation from various aspects," Wu said.

    The NPC Standing Committee found a series of protruding problems in coal mine production safety area by hosting more than 60 forums and organizing lawmakers to conduct field study in more than 70 enterprises and over 30 coal mines, he said.

    To resolve this problems, the legislature raised a series of suggestions to the government "to reduce the number of severe gas explosion cases in two years, improve work environment of small coal mines in three years, and expand the industrial injury insurance system in all the country's the high-risk industries by the end of 2006," said the chairman.

    As a result, the government closed down 5,243 illegal coal mines and coal mines without enough work safety facilities last year. And government officials have withdrawn 562 million yuan worth of stakes from those illegal coal mines following the order from the Central Government, according to Wu's report.

    RURAL DEVELOPMENT, SCI-TECH PROGRESS

    Building the "new countryside" and bolstering scientific and technological innovation are on top of the agenda in the country's 11th Five-Year (2006-2010) Plan for national economic and social development which is still under discussion by the Parliament.

    The work of the NPC Standing Committee should be carried out "in line with the highest priority of the national policies, Wu said.

    The legislature will launch inspection tours to check the implementation of laws on land contract and land management, and a variety of policies of the central authorities in the favor of agricultural work.

    In a bid to help fulfill the goal of building an innovation-oriented country, the NPC Standing Committee will examine the implementation of law on patent, and discuss reports on enhancing innovation capacity and on fulfillment of compulsory education in 2006, Wu said. Enditem