Xinjiang urges more effort in rural-urban integration
DATE:2014-02-19 SOURCE:China Daily
The Xinjiang Rural Work Conference took place in the city of Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Feb 12. The conference decided on an economic and social development plan in the rural area. Urumqi Party Committee Secretary Zhu Hailun called on more efforts for rural-urban integration at the meeting.
Zhu said, "Urumqi should take the lead in promoting coordinated development between urban and rural areas, which is a fundamental requirement to building a smart, sustainable and prosperous city."
He called on related departments to work on supporting key agricultural enterprises, updating agricultural industry structure, diversifying agricultural products, and introducing a strict supervision system to avoid product quality and safety problems.
He said that rural tourism is a new income source for villagers. Thus, more tourist resorts such as Nanshan Tourist Base should be set up with clear, concise and competitive branding strategies.
Zhu added that financial assistance should be provided to rural infrastructure projects as well as environmental projects to improve local resident livelihood and rural regional ecology.
According to Zhu, the towns and villages will introduce more financial organizations such as banks and lending companies. They will also reform their financial insurance system.
In addition, efforts should be made to regulate the village official's election procedure, enhance a democratic decision-making system, and ensure transparency in dealing with village affairs.
He recommended that rural and urban integration should attract more rural laborers to cities with a number of policies and incentives. For example, eligible migrant workers who have stable jobs and live in the cities for a certain period of time should be allowed to join urban housing programs and enjoy healthcare and pension benefits.
Other participants were impressed by Zhu's speech and voiced their ideas during the meeting. Urumqi Mayor Ilham Sha Bier commented that the government would continue to improve the policy system to empower and benefit farmers.
There was also an awarding ceremony for government bodies and individuals that made great contributions to rural economic growth and livelihood improvement in 2013.