Public works programs are making a big difference in Rudong. Some 10 billion yuan was spent in the county last year, according to the government work report. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

Rudong county – administered by Nantong city in East China's Jiangsu province – spent 10 billion yuan ($1.55 billion) on public works projects throughout the course of last year, accounting for 80.5 percent of total public financial expenditure, according to the latest government work report.

The report was released on Jan 12 during the fifth session of the 17th Rudong County People's Congress.

According to Chen Huiyu, head of Rudong county, 10 major public works projects approved by county level people's congress representatives were fully implemented last year, further improving people's overall satisfaction with government services.

The projects covered a number of areas, including urban improvement, sewage treatment, road upgrades, education, security and environmental protection.

Local residents were reportedly happy to embrace a better living environment and appreciated the positive changes brought about by the projects.

One of them improved local waterways. The Rutai (Rudong-Taixing) Canal and the Jueju and Juekan rivers that run through Rudong used to be surrounded by coal storage yards and abandoned factories, having become a place for traders and residents to dump garbage and discharge domestic sewage. Under a county remedial initiative, some 450 million yuan was spent on improvements, transforming the area into an attractive landscape.

Another effort, aimed at helping those who have lost the ability to take care of themselves, also won praise. Chen Shuliang, 85, who lives in the rural Xindian town, was one of the beneficiaries. With no family around, she has to stay at nursing home but can now enjoy a monthly subsidy of 2,100 yuan under the long-term care insurance and a medical insurance subsidy of 450 yuan, both provided by the government.

The long-term care insurance helped 2,226 such people last year, greatly easing the economic burden on their families, according to a local official.