The government of Zhejiang province convenes a meeting on Nov 19 to set out plans for future work on civil affairs. [Photo/zj.zjol.com]

The government of Zhejiang province convened a meeting on Nov 19 to set out plans for future work on civil affairs.

The meeting, held 18 times since 1950, is an important event for the province. It is normally attended by some of the province's most influential political leaders, such as the Party chief and governor. This year's meeting was attended by the Minister of Civil Affairs for the first time.

The minister, Li Jiheng, commended the remarkable achievements Zhejiang has made in improving civil administration in recent years and encouraged local authorities to continue their work to improve living standards, social services and social governance.

Li Jiheng, Minister of Civil Affairs, addresses the meeting. [Photo/zj.zjol.com]

Che Jun, Party chief of Zhejiang, stressed the importance of civil administration, urging all government departments to strengthen support and relief for those in need of assistance, improve elderly care services and further streamline administrative procedures.

Yuan Jiajun, governor of Zhejiang, said the government will focus on digital transformation in order to build intelligent systems for social governance, social relief and elderly care.

A series of plans to promote the development of civil administration was released before the meeting. According to the plans, the future government work on civil affairs will focus on poverty alleviation, people in need of assistance, and public concerns.

Zhejiang aims to build elderly care centers in all of its towns by 2022, as the province is faced with a serious aging problem. Its elderly population reached 11.22 million by the end of last year, accounting for 22.43 percent of the province's total population.