The country's top legislators put forward the problems and advice on how to solve them, numbering over 6,500, during the recent annual full session of the National People's Congress(NPC), which was held in the first half of last month.

The NPC Standing Committee submitted the recommendations yesterday to the 33 relevant central government departments, including the Ministry of Water Resources and the National Development and Reform Commission.

Chinese laws required governmental departments to give a response to advice and complaints put forward by NPC deputies six months after the annual plenary session closed.

"If deputies are unsatisfied with the replies, the NPC Standing Committee will urge the relevant government departments to reconsider and reply for the second time," Wang Wanbin, deputy secretary-general of the Standing Committee, told yesterday's conference.

Twelve issues were identified as the most important for the central government to handle this year, according to Wang.

Among them, NPC delegates advised solving the problem involving water supply to Macao that was influenced by salt tides in Guangdong.

Macao suffered from the salt tide of the Xijiang River from late last year to early this year, as the major tributary of the Pearl River is the leading source of fresh water for the special administrative region.

Consequently, 12 NPC deputies from Macao urged the central government to solve the salt tide problem to ensure residents in Macao will drink safe water.

In addition, over 40 NPC deputies recommended the central government to take further efforts to protect the worsening Tibet Plateau.

Other important proposals were on pension, justice, medical advertisement, agriculture, forest protection, river conservation, rural drinking water safety and wastewater treatment, sources said.

Officials from the State Council and 33 governmental departments vowed yesterday

(Source: China Daily)

Editor:

Yang Li