Policy Digest: March 13

People urged to report hidden mine accidents

Authorities responsible for mine safety are required to inform the public about how they can report accidents that have been concealed through various channels, including by phone, letter, the internet and WeChat mini programs.

The authorities should also make good use of information technology and improve monitoring systems to spot clues about potential mine accidents, such as abnormal movements and gatherings of people in mine shafts, the National Mine Safety Administration said in a notice.

The administration issued the notice earlier this month, laying out specific requirements for related authorities and mine companies to follow as it strives to crack down on the concealment of mine accidents.

If concealed mine accidents are uncovered, those responsible will face harsh punishment, the administration said.

People who provide genuine tipoffs on concealed mine accidents will receive a reward of up to 300,000 yuan ($41,700), it also said.

Campaign aims to help smaller firms prosper

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and 17 other departments have launched a nationwide campaign to assist the development of micro, small and medium-sized companies.

During the campaign, related authorities should increase the companies' awareness of the country's favorable policies and help them better understand and make use of the policies, according to a notice issued by the 18 departments.

The authorities should improve targeted services to help the companies address challenges such as a lack of orders and talent and financing difficulties.

They are also required to help companies strengthen their competitiveness and ability to innovate, obtain advanced technologies, improve the quality of their products and speed up digitization, the notice said.

4 million hectares of trees planted last year

China made remarkable progress in land greening by afforestation, improving grassland quality and treating desertified areas last year, the National Greening Commission said in an annual report on Tuesday, the country's 46th Tree-Planting Day.

The country planted 4 million hectares of trees, a year-on-year increase of 4.4 percent, the report said. In addition, some 4.4 million hectares of grassland were improved through grass planting, and 1.9 million hectares of desertified land were treated, up 36.2 and 3.1 percent year-on-year respectively.

Due to efforts in the protection and management of forest and grassland resources, the number of forest fires and the total forest and grassland area affected both decreased. Last year, there were 328 forest fires, a year-on-year decrease of 53.7 percent; there were 15 grassland fires, a year-on-year decrease of 28.6 percent, maintaining low levels.

900-plus accused of molestations on metro

Public security authorities across the country solved more than 1,000 cases of molestation against women on subways and buses in a special campaign last summer, arresting more than 900 suspects, the Ministry of Public Security said.

Also last year, about 10,000 police officers conducted daily patrols to enhance the safety of public transportation passengers, the ministry said in a statement.

Public security authorities nationwide conducted a combined 62,000 inspections of companies operating subways and buses last year and detected more than 50,000 security loopholes, according to the ministry.

They also conducted about 29,000 exercises and 16,000 training sessions to help the companies improve their ability to prevent and address emergencies.