Officials from Hai'an – a county-level city administered by Nantong city in East China's Jiangsu province – canvassed 15 major public works projects involving employment, old-age support, healthcare and education for 2021 during the fifth session of the 16th Hai'an Municipal People's Congress, which was held on Jan 15.

The essential details of the projects are as follows:

1. Employment and entrepreneurship

At least 23,000 jobs will be provided in Hai'an, 6,000 of which are to be for college graduates; the city will also provide support for at least 1,800 start-up businesses.

2. Assistance for the poor, weak and disabled

Renovations to housing will be provided for 250 poor elderly people and 100 poor families with disabled people; assistance devices will be given to 500 disabled people at no charge; 150 disabled children will have access to basic rehabilitation services.

3. Assistance for farmers

Some 3,333 hectares of farmland will be established in accordance with high standards; at least 10 sites for fresh agricultural product deposits will be made available.

4. Public welfare protection

Infant and childcare services will be improved; eight new childcare service organizations and 13 kindergarten classes will be offered.

5. Old-age support improvements

A nursing institution and at least 200 beds for the aged will be added; a day care center for seniors will be built.

6. Teaching improvements

Three kindergartens and a primary school in Nanping will be built; lights in middle school classrooms will be upgraded and air purifiers will be installed in the classrooms of primary and middle schools.

7. Medical services improvements

An emergency hospital will be built in the city; construction of fever clinics and nucleic acid testing laboratories in the Libao and Nanmo health centers will be completed; two internet hospitals will be built to create an "internet + healthcare" service system.

8. Culture, sports for the general public

A 24-hour city library, five sub-district cultural and sport service centers, 22 village history halls and 22 village performance stages will be built; six sports venues will be established, equipped with 1,000 fitness facilities.

9. Convenient transportation

Seventy bridges in rural areas will be renovated; lights will be installed in 150 kilometers of rural highways; shared electric bicycles will be introduced in Hai'an's urban areas.

10. Environmental upgrade

An intelligent dust control system will be established; five mist cannon trucks and 31 micro air quality monitoring stations will be added; efforts to clean up 38 black, malodorous water bodies in the rural areas will be accelerated.

11. Public safety

A total of 3,500 charging spots for electric bicycles will be built in residential communities with existing property management companies; a system to prohibit the entry of electric bikes will be installed in 1,300 elevators; five food (edible agricultural products) rapid testing laboratories will be established.

12. Legal aid

Seven sub-district public legal service centers will be established to handle 1,300 legal aid cases.

13. People-oriented government service

An annual action plan will be implemented to improve government services; integrated windows will be launched to provide convenience for citizens.

14. Construction of a smart city

Construction of a demonstration smart residential community will begin; 800 base stations will be upgraded to 5G base stations and a province-leading 5G network will be built.

15. Three halls and two centers

Hai'an will complete the planning of a proposed exhibition hall and start four new projects – a science and technology hall, a safety education hall, a comprehensive service center for the disabled and a center for the career development and training of teachers.