China to beef up fiscal expenditure to ensure people's livelihood

BEIJING -- The State Council, China's cabinet, on Friday decided to take measures to enhance guarantees of fiscal spending for ensuring people's livelihood.

It also made arrangements for advancing the public health campaign amid the prevention and control of COVID-19 and other diseases in winter, according to a statement issued after a State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang.

Though the epidemic has affected the employment, income and life of low-income groups since the beginning of the year, the residents' livelihood has been safeguarded as the country increased efforts to secure people's basic livelihood, according to the meeting.

The meeting stressed gradually increasing the life guarantees and living standards of the people by prioritizing the budget arrangements for ensuring people's livelihood, improving the institutions regarding people's livelihood, enhancing people's sense of gain, and ensuring the sustainability of these favorable policies benefiting the people.

Efforts should go into intensifying supervision to ensure policies are in place and sustainable, said the meeting.

The government should also tighten its belt and cut outlay to allow more funding for people's livelihood.

Noting the vital role of the public health campaign in promoting and protecting people's health, the meeting urged solid work in preventing and controlling the epidemic on a regular basis in winter, as well as comprehensively advancing the improvement of urban and rural environmental sanitation.

The meeting also underlined strengthening the construction of public health facilities and garbage and sewage treatment facilities, guiding the public to adopt good health habits and advocating a healthy lifestyle.