Beijing increases input in public social and safe services

The investment tilts towards rural areas, the weak social groups and urban communities, with a focus on improving the living conditions of ordinary people, said Liang Changxin, member of the commission.

Explaining the policies, Liang said part of the public money goes to a plan to build medical centers and stations in some 3,300 communities to solve the problem of scarce medical facilities and expensive drugs, and compulsory education in the villages. In the cultural field, the government is allocating money to make TV broadcast available for every household in the city of 15 million residents by 2010.

To transfer quality educational and medical resources to rural areas, the government has encouraged renowned universities and hospitals to set up branches in Beijing's rural areas and transfer their management skills and software resources to upgrade rural facilities and send doctors among ordinary people.

Furthermore, Beijing has channeled its public service investment in developing new towns like Tongzhou, Yizhuang and others, he told a press conference at the Beijing Olympic Media Center on Wednesday.

"We spent 290 million yuan (close to $40 million) in cultural public services this year to add equipment to the city's large cultural squares for the next year's Olympic Games, buy new movable film projection vehicles to meet the demand of rural villages and subsidize the art performances of professional troupes for farmers and community residents," said Vice-Director of Beijing Culture Bureau Wang Zhu.