China issues rules to evaluate work on rural vitalisation

China issued a set of rules to evaluate the work on rural vitalisation by including central government agencies and the taskforce on the ground, and to hold wrongdoers accountable, Xinhua Reported on Tuesday.

The seven-chapter rules, titled the Implementation Measures of Rural Vitalisation Accountability, was issued by the General Offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council on Nov 28.

It was released to the public via Xinhua on Tuesday.

According to the document, central government agencies are responsible for studying the top leader's instructions over agriculture and rural affairs and should make policies accordingly.

Their duties also include making policies to strengthen the country's agricultural production and food security, deepen rural economic reforms, boost public services and consolidate the fruit of the antipoverty campaigns that ended early last year.

Departments need to improve their internal leadership on rural vitalisation matters and work with other departments in coordination. The report states that a department's Party committee bears the major responsibility for its performance on this front.

Local governments are obligated to integrate rural vitalisation work with local development, as well as with local agriculture and rural affairs, the rules said.

Local authorities are also obliged to ensure local grain production, prevent vulnerable groups from sliding back into poverty, foster unique rural industries, entice talents to work in villages and improve rural infrastructure, such as internet penetration, the document said.

The provincial authorities are in charge of assigning key tasks and allocating "important resources", while city-level authorities are tasked with breaking down general tasks and track the progress of important projects and usage of money, it said.

County governments are required to organise taskforces to solve major tasks and ensure progress are continuous.

Leadership in each level of authorities will be held accountable for bureaucracy and other forms of misconducts and even criminal offences, it added.