The Premier urged the province, another heavy industry hub in China, to better restructure local economy, upgrading the heavy industry and exploring emerging industries and service sectors.

Local governments should work to create an open and fair business environment through transforming government functions and easing administrative approval procedures, he said.

People's livelihood should be another priority, Li said, stressing that the province should speed up the renovation of rundown neighborhoods in old mining areas that suffered surface subsidence and work harder to provide social security to the needy people.

Top legislator Zhang Dejiang and senior party official Liu Yunshan also attended panel discussions with NPC deputies.

During the discussion with deputies from southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Zhang urged deputies to be confident of the system of people's congresses.

The NPC will play a better role in lawmaking and work to ensure that China's reform is carried out in line with the law, he said.

He also urged NPC deputies to exercise their duty of supervising the government and judicial departments.

Joining deputies from central China's Hunan Province, Liu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, stressed a healthy political environment within the CPC.

The CPC will strictly implement political disciplines and protocols, curb nepotism and punish laziness, he said, adding that senior officials must be pressed to be responsible for and active in promoting development.