China's State Council, or cabinet, on Wednesday approved in principle a draft law revision that means better education, better rehabilitation, a higher standard of living and more jobs for the country's disabled.

The changes were backed during an executive meeting of the State Council, presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao, also a Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

The meeting said the Law on Protection of the Disabled "played an important role in ensuring the legal rights and interests of the disabled since its implementation in 1991".

"But with economic and social development advances, new circumstances and problems occurred with the protection of their rights and interests," said the meeting, adding revising the law was imperative.

The revision draft deepened the concept of putting people first and focused on improving or adding stipulations guaranteeing the rights and interests of the handicapped, the meeting said.

Improvement include:

-- Establishing and improving rehabilitation service system for the disabled; encouraging and supporting establishment of such institutions.

-- Setting up educational institutions for the disabled and providing financial support for disabled students and children with poor disabled parents.

-- Setting up more public welfare jobs for the disabled, providing free employment services, and encouraging employers to arrange job for the disabled.

-- Adopting necessary aid measures for the disabled families who still suffered poverty though enjoying guarantee of subsistence allowances for urban residents.

The draft also added stipulations on the improvement of the disabled- friendly facilities and the building of an easy environment for the handicapped to equally participate in social life, the meeting said, adding that the revision further made clear legal responsibilities for the infringement of disabled people's rights and interests.

The meeting decided that the draft revision would be submitted by the State Council to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, for further deliberation.

Wednesday's meeting also deliberated and approved the draft of a nurses regulation.

"Nurses are an important component of the medical force and their work is closely tied to medical security and people's health," the meeting pointed out.

It's necessary to draft the regulation so as to safeguard nurses' legal rights and regulate their work, the meeting said.

The regulation made clear the establishment of a nurses' registration system, nurses' rights and interests and their responsibilities, excellency awarding, and the responsibilities of medical institutions in safeguarding nurses' rights and interests.

The regulation would be promulgated by the State Council after further improvement, the meeting decided.
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(Xinhua News Agency January 24, 2008)