BEIJING, Sept. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- The Chinese government actively promotes the development of social welfare, raising funds through various channels to provide social welfare benefits for the elderly, orphans and the disabled, said a white paper issued by the Information Office of the State Council on Tuesday.

    According to relevant laws and regulations on the protection of elderly, minors and disabled's rights and interests, the state and the society have adopted measures to improve conditions for such people's livelihood, health and participation in social development, said the white paper titled China's Social Security and Its Policy.

    "Governments at all levels include services for elderly peoplein their social-economic development plans, gradually increase investments in services for elderly people, and encourage investment from all sectors of society," said the white paper.

    In recent years, thanks to the promotion of the socialization of social welfare undertakings, a social service system for elderly people has gradually taken shape, with state- and collective-run social welfare organizations for elderly people as the backbone, those sponsored by various social sectors as a new growth point, community welfare services for elderly people as support, and services for elderly people living at home as the basis, said the white paper.

    Today, there are 38,000 social welfare organizations of various kinds for elderly people, with 8.4 beds for every 1,000 people over the age of 60. In 2001, the state introduced the "Starlight Plan - National Community Welfare Service for Elderly People." By June 2004, a total of 32,000 Starlight Homes for Elderly People had been built or rebuilt in urban and rural areas all over China, with a total investment of 13.49 billion yuan.

    The state also provides comprehensive welfare for children, including education and planned immunization, and takes special care to ensure the livelihood, recovery and education of children with special difficulties, such as disabled children, orphans and abandoned babies, by providing welfare projects, facilities and services, said the white paper.

    Today, China has 192 special welfare institutions for childrenand 600 comprehensive welfare institutions with a children's department, accommodating a total of 54,000 orphans and disabled children. There are also nearly 10,000 community services around China for orphans and disabled people, such as rehabilitation centers and training classes for mentally retarded children, according to the white paper.

    The Chinese government has decided that, starting from 2004, it is going to carry out the "Tomorrow Plan - Operations and Rehabilitation for Disabled Orphans." Under the plan, each year 10,000 disabled orphans will receive operations and rehabilitation services. The aim is that by 2006 all the disabled orphans with surgical operation indications in all the social welfare institutions around China will have received effective operations and rehabilitation services, said the white paper.

    "The Law on the Protection of Disabled People promulgated by the state provides legal guarantees for disabled people's rehabilitation, education, employment, cultural life and social welfare," said the white paper.

    By the end of 2003, a total of over 4.03 million disabled people in urban areas around China were in employment, and 16.85 million disabled people in rural areas were engaged in productive labor; 2.59 million impoverished disabled people enjoyed guarantees for their livelihood; 442,000 disabled people enjoyed concentrated support and the "five guarantees" (of food, clothing,medicare, housing and burial expenses) in various welfare institutions and homes for the aged; 2.46 million disabled people were receiving temporary aid, regular allowances and special allowances; and over 7.01 million impoverished disabled people were receiving assistance to solve their problem of basic food andclothing, said the white paper.