The Beijing municipal government created more than 133,000 new jobs last year and has begun soliciting criticism, evaluation and advice on 60 completed projects.

The government, apparently longing for an image of cleanness, efficiency and transparency, is also soliciting suggestions for 57 projects it has set aside for this year to complete.

According to latest statistics, of the 133,500 jobs created last year, more than 110,400 are occupied by workers who were laid off over the past couple of years, government said.

In a notice on an official website on Monday, the municipal government announced that the 60 specific projects for the welfare of the public in 2003 have been fulfilled in time.

Advice and complaints from local residents are welcome, face to face or by telephone calls and email, the notice said.

Beijing's newly-emerged township-level industrial gardens created 56,000 posts for farmers in suburbs of Beijing, said sources with the government last year.

The city also trained the disabled, putting almost 5,000 through professional skills programmes.

A total of 1,080 such residents in Beijing have found jobs, 234 of whom are now working at community-based posts.

At the same time, the local government helped 8,176 unemployed who were in their 30s or 40s and had difficulties finding jobs positions in local communities.

Traffic, environment, agriculture, food safety, public security and cultural relics protection --all closely related to the daily lives of local residents -- are involved in 60 community projects that have been completed.

In environmental protection, Beijing announced that air quality on 224 days in 2003 -- 61.4 per cent of the total days -- reached or better than level II national standard indicating good air quality.

The capital had set a 60 per cent goal.

To curb sandstorms -- a headache for Beijing residents in spring -- trees were planted on an area of 3,267 hectares last year.

As a result, sandstorms have not influenced the capital city as much last year,a rather rare occurrence during recent years, sources said.

Last year, not only urban residents enjoyed the system for ensuring a minimum standard of living --

some 65,000 poor farmers in Beijing began to be involved in the new public welfare system.

For next year, Beijing government said 56 annual projects are on the table, and officials have begun to solicit opinions from the public before deciding goals.

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