Shandong: Water Shortage to Be Ended in Rural Areas

More than 1.1 million rural population's historic water short-age will be ended in three years, a commitment recently made by Shandong government and its municipal governments.

Shandong Province is seriously short of water resources, with a per capita occupancy volume accounting for one-sixth of the national average level.

In the light of relevant national standards released in 1983, there are 19,786 historic water shortage villages, with a population of 11.31 million. The local government has made great efforts to solve this problem. By the end of 2001, more than 30,000 various drinking water projects have been completed, with an investment of over three billion yuan, and thereby 10.21 million people have had drinking water.

To make the remaining 1.1 million people have drinking water, a sum of 500 million yuan will be invested in the next three years.

A New Reemployment Access for the Laid-off Workers in Dalinn

On 15 July 2002, the Mingjie labor market, located in cooked food trade center of Dalian, formally starts. The Federation of Trade Unions in Shahekou District has already regarded this labor market as reemployment base for the laid-off workers.

Covering an area of 3,300 square meters, the labor market, with 366 stalls, is the biggest of its kind in the west of the city.

In order to help the laid-off workers to find jobs soon, the labor market promises to provide free stalls, consultation and legal assistance for the laid-off workers and enterprises. At the first recruitment fair held yesterday, 121 enterprises were attracted to participate in.

More than 500 laid-off workers from the Kunming Street and the Guilin Street were picked up respectively for the recruitment fair. Only in the morning, 50 of them have signed the agreement.

Inner Mongolia: Three Level Medical Prevention and Health Care System Comes into Being

The medical prevention and health care system in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has been formed, with the strengthening constructions of medical institutions in rural pastoral areas and the improvement of their service, according to a survey conducted recently by the provincial Health Department.

The comprehensive system includes three levels, namely the village, the township and the county, which has brought a great convenience for farmers and herdsmen to see a doctor.

The survey has covered 598 medical institutions in 12 cities of the province. According to the survey, sixty percent of medical technical personnel in grass-roots medical institutions at least receive an education from technical schools, and eighty percent village doctors have received systematic and regular training. After ten years' construction, a total of 370 million yuan has been invested, with the establishment of 86 county-level epidemic prevention stations, 87 maternal and child health care centers, as well as 1509 township-level hospitals.

The conditions of the county-level and the township-level medical institutions have been improved dramatically, and the quality of the medical workers and the service of medical institutions have been strengthened as well.

Statistics show that seventy percent of hospitals in the province can do the normal examinations such as X-ray and type-B ultrasonic, and nearly fifty percent can do some big operations.

In addition, the provincial government also strengthened the constructions of county-level comprehensive hospitals. With the add of some examination and first-aid facilities, many difficult and complicated cases have gotten effective treatment in the hospitals, which has made it easy for farmers and herdsmen to see a doctor.

"Reemployment Fund" for the Laid-off Workers to Start Their Own Business

Recently, Li Aibao, a resident of Zhongshan Community of Yuqiao Street in Wuchang, lent 500 yuan from the "reemployment fund" of the community to run a breakfast stall. He became another beneficiary of the fund.

There are over 300 laid-off workers in Zhongshan community, and nearly 100 people have not found jobs so far. In order to lead them to start their own business, this community set up “reemployment fund" last year.

A laid-off worker, writing the purpose of the fund and with a guarantor, can apply the fund up to 5000 yuan with the unanimous agreement of all members in management committee.

Last November, a laid-off worker Xu Wenjing first applied2000 yuan to open a small shop. On March 5 of this year, he returned the money in time.

It is reported that two sums of the fund lent last year have already been returned as scheduled. Another two difficult families applied for the fund this year.

The Consultation Center for Labor and Social Security Policy Established in Dalian

The consultation center, offering labor and social security policy for all the enterprises and workers in Dalian, was formally established.

This Center mainly takes charge of explaining the policy of labor and social security, offering job and training information, appraisal information for professional certification, personal account inquiry for endowment insurance and work procedure guideline for labor and social security. It will also offer supply and demand information of the labor market in the future.

At present, the Center, located in the first floor of the Labor Insurance Company Building, has set up a database of policy and answering information of work procedures, and has recorded 600, 000 words information including relevant 780 pieces of documents about labor and social security and 800 pieces of information about concrete policy. In addition, this center has also set 10 face-to-face consultation seats and 6 artificial service telephones. The number is 96,508.