PREVENTING EPIDEMICS: A medic sprays disinfectant in Wenchang City, south China's Hainan Province, on October 11. Medical personnel focused on preventing diseases in Wenchang after the worst flood in decades on the island retreated (FU YONGTAO)

Compensating Herders

The Central Government announced on October 12 financial assistance for herders in west China, to reward their efforts in conserving grasslands and to compensate them for losses.

From next year, the policy will be applied in eight provincial-level regions including Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia and Yunnan, said a circular issued after a State Council executive meeting.

The government will give 90 yuan ($13.4) per hectare of grassland annually to herders living in the regions where the grasslands are severely damaged and herding has been banned, the document said.

Outside of these herding-banned regions, residents will receive 22.5 yuan ($3.4) per hectare every year if they keep a herd of sustainable size, the document said.

The government will also provide 150 yuan ($22.4) per hectare for farmers to grow better quality grass.

Overhauling Reservoirs

China plans to invest hundreds of billions of yuan over the next five years to reinforce the country's small and medium-sized dilapidated reservoirs to prevent large flood-triggered geological disasters.

Speaking at a press conference on river and reservoir management in Beijing on October 12, Du Ying, Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planning body, said, "Considering our country's comprehensive economic strength, such substantial investments in projects to harness rivers, reinforce dilapidated reservoirs and to prevent and control disasters can be guaranteed."

Du said most of the investment in these projects would come from the Central Government and local governments, while some funds would also be raised from the public.

Bacteria Alert

The Ministry of Health issued guidelines urging full preparations at medical institutions nationwide for treating the multi-drug resistant NDM-1 bacteria on October 9.

According to the guidelines, it is likely the bacteria is mainly transmitted through close contact, with key vulnerable groups being patients with serious illnesses and those chronically taking antibiotics or receiving mechanical assistance for breathing.

The guidelines said that symptoms for patients infected with NDM-1 are no different than those presented by antibiotic-sensitive bacterium, but it is resistant to ordinary antibiotic treatments.

NDM-1 is most prevalent in South Asia. No NDM-1 cases have been reported on the Chinese mainland. Earlier in October, Taiwan reported its first case of the bacteria, found in a wounded Taiwan cameraman just back from India.

Valued Experience

The Central Government will, for the first time, reserve vacancies for farmers and workers in the annual nationwide civil service exams.

The announcement was made on October 13 by the State Administration of Civil Service (SACS), which is in charge of recruiting government employees. Registration for this year's exams started on October 15.

Millions of farmers living in the country's rural areas were not allowed to take the exam selecting Central Government officials until 2006, when the restriction of household registration was lifted.

According to the administration, those reserved vacancies will be allocated among departments of the customs, state taxation and railway police at country-level or below.

The SACS has not specified the number of reserved vacancies. The Central Government plans to recruit more than 16,000 public servants in 2011. About 85 percent of the vacancies require at least two-year grassroots work experience, up 15 percentage points from the previous year.