Chinese premier Wen Jiabao (C) visited the family of Ruan Zexing (L1) in Chongwen District, Beijing, Nov. 7. Wen said local governments should work hard to provide adequate heating to all households by ensuring adequate coal and gas supply.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged local governments to care more for ordinary people, especially those with low incomes and those who have been laid off, and to ensure that everyone has a warm winter.

While hearing the report on Beijing's heating planning for the coming winter in Beijing on November 7, Wen said local governments should work hard to provide adequate heating to all households by ensuring adequate coal and gas supply.

During a conversation with Fu Deqing, a laid-off grain officer, Wen asked him about his subsistence allowances, children's tuition fee and even whether he had enough briquettes for the winter.

After Fu gave positive answers to all questions, Wen then demanded accompanying Beijing officials to earnestly implement measures on reemployment by developing service-related, labor-intensive enterprises and creating more job opportunities for the unemployed.

He also required local officials to offer more vocational training and improve social security system for the laid-off workers and their kids.

After visiting two households in Qianmen, a centuries-old district that is crowded with shabby houses, Wen said the Chinese government was confident of improving common people's living conditions.

"We'll speed up the housing construction for low-income families and devote more efforts to resolving the housing difficulties of needy people," he said.

Source: Xinhua