The Central Government has urged provincial governments to step up efforts to ensure the supply of affordable housing by holding top provincial leaders accountable for the task.

The move is seen as another major effort by the Central Government to address the housing issue after the State Council introduced a slew of measures to curb rocketing housing prices in April.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development signed documents on May 19 with all the 31 provincial, municipal and autonomous region governments, as well as Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, to guarantee they will fulfill the construction of much-needed housing this year.

China plans to build as many as 5.8 million affordable, low-rent houses for those with low incomes and those who now live in shantytowns, as well as reconstructing dilapidated houses for 1.2 million rural households this year.