BEIJING — China's Ministry of Civil Affairs has made concrete efforts to improve people's livelihoods through measures based on suggestions and proposals submitted by national legislators and political advisers in 2019.

Altogether 562 suggestions and proposals were handled by the ministry in 2019, all of which concern the well-being of the people, like elderly care services, primary-level and community governance, child welfare and the protection of minors.

Progress has been made in many areas after adopting these suggestions and proposals, the ministry said.

For example, local authorities across China have been asked to provide special assistance to extremely impoverished individuals and improve the allocation of basic living allowances for low-income rural residents.

A guideline on strengthening the work of protecting and supporting de facto orphans was unveiled by the ministry along with 11 other government agencies in July 2019, after related suggestions and proposals had been adopted.

According to the guideline, de facto orphans are children whose parents suffer from severe disabilities or illness, are serving sentences in jail or under detention, are in compulsory isolation for drug rehabilitation or have their personal freedom restricted, or cannot be contacted.