Vulnerable children living in one of China's poorest areas are receiving wearable high-tech devices to help keep them safe. About 100,000 primary school students in Bijie, Guizhou province, will receive new watch-phones fitted with satellite tracking that can provide real-time information on their whereabouts to parents, guardians, officials and teachers. All of the children have been left behind in towns and villages by parents who have moved away for work, so the phones will also make it easier for these families to stay in contact, according to a statement from the city government. The city and counties spent a combined 24 million yuan ($3.6 million) to purchase the devices, which are made by Hubaoxing (Guardian Star). The authorities will also cover a monthly network fee of about 15 yuan for each child, which entitles them to 200 minutes of calling and 500 megabytes of data. So far, the watch-phones have been provided to 4,199 students in Qianxi and Dafang counties and Qixingguan district, said Tao Jin, an official at the city department responsible for the care of left-behind children. Training courses will be arranged for children after they receive their watchphones. It will provide detailed instructions on how to use the different functions. Guizhou is one of the poorest provinces in China, and Bijie has long been known for its large number of left-behind children. A number of tragedies involving them have occurred in the villages surrounding Bijie. In 2012, five children in Bijie died from carbon monoxide poisoning when burning charcoal to keep warm in a roadside dumpster. In 2015, four siblings between 5 and 13, committed suicide by consuming pesticide at their home. The watch-phone initiative assigns a local official and a teacher to each left-behind child to keep an eye on them and prevent danger. The Bijie government said it has been making steady efforts to take better care of children who are left without parental care since the 2012 incident. Safety inspections of left-behind children's homes, schools and surrounding areas were conducted this month. Wang Keju contributed to this story. cheap wristbandsrubber silicone braceletsthe wristband factorylivestrong braceletcustom wrist sweatbandscustom wristbands no minimum
A batch of laws and regulations to benefit people's livelihoods, including the country's first environmental protection tax, rules on takeout foods and tour guide services, went into effect on Monday.The new laws and regulations were issued by the National People's Congress, the top legislative body, and central government ministries.Among the new measures, environmental protection has been a major area, with two laws and a reform plan that took effect on Monday. They include an environmental protection tax, a water pollution prevention and control law and the compensation reform plan on ecological and environmental damage.The tax is China's first with the aim of protecting the environment. It is designed to regulate companies that discharge pollutants by using economic measures, said Wang Jinnan, head of the Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning.China already had a regulation on collecting a pollutant discharge fee. But some local governments exploited loopholes and exempted enterprises that are big contributors to revenue. For years, regulators suggested replacing the fee system with a law to better regulate the companies and governments.Once the new tax is levied, companies will pay the price based on the amount of pollutants they discharge. They also will earn a reduction if they adopt advanced technologies to reduce pollution.In addition, the law on water pollution control highlighted the river chief system, which makes the government leaders the point people to coordinate control measures. Combined with other laws, this could help make pollution control more effective and make enforcement stronger, Li Ganjie, minister of environmental protection, said while introducing the law on Dec 26.Besides a cleaner environment, other aspects of people's lives also will be improved under the new laws and regulations.The new Tour Guide Management Regulation bans tour guides from forcing visitors to buy items or bullying them with curses. Those who violate the regulation will face severe punishment, including fines and revoked licenses.Under another new regulation, employers that fail to pay migrant workers their wages on time will be added to a blacklist. This also would apply if a wage debt to workers leads to mass disturbances.It will restrict them in many ways, such as applying for loans or getting licenses, said Wang Cheng, head of labor inspection at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.The joint restriction will be a major measure to protect migrant workers' interests and deter violators, he added.In addition, laws and regulations on nuclear safety, unfair competition in market and management of public libraries also took effective with the start of 2018.Xinhua contributed to this story.
