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Free, compulsory education in China

BEIJING: A series of new laws and regulations, ranging from compulsory education to wildlife protection, which will impact the daily life of the people and protect the interests of the country, come into effect in China on Friday.

The new regulations include a law on education aimed at giving children in both cities and the countryside nine years of free compulsory education. The cost will be jointly met by the Central and local Governments which are required to include the expenditure in their budgets.

The regulations on reservoir compensation funds guarantee subsidies for people relocated to make ways for dams and reservoirs.

The Central Government will spend more than 13 billion yuan ($1.63 billion) every year subsidising 22 million people who were moved for constructing dams. The money will be raised by increasing power bills.

China has built more than 3,000 large and medium-sized dams since 1949, for flood control, electricity generation, irrigation and water supply.

Stricter controls and regulations on storage and use of explosives by civilians have also been envisaged in the wake of a series of accidental explosions in recent years.

The Government will also establish a database to monitor all transactions and transport of explosives. All manufacturers, vendors and users are to establish a registration system that ensures that the quantities, type and the destination of explosives are entered in the Government's database. — Xinhua

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