State Councilor Ismail Amat has urged greater support for the cause of assisting China's disabled people, especially in the underdeveloped western region. Governments of all levels should increase their investment to ensure the accomplishment of all tasks in this regard set for the ninth five-year plan period (1996-2000).

The state councilor, who also heads a State Council committee to coordinate work concerning disabled persons, made these remarks here today at the committee's eighth plenary session, which was attended by leading officials from 34 central government departments.

Thanks to the government efforts and international assistance, last year some 410,000 cataract patients recovered their sight, 17, 030 deaf children regained their hearing, and 29,000 handicapped people received artificial limbs.

At the same time, 55,008 disabled children entered school, 260, 000 handicapped adults founded jobs, 2.39 million poor handicapped people said farewell to poverty, and 1.6 million poor disabled adults unable to work had the necessities of life through the assistance of social security programs.

Deng Pufang, chairman of the China Disabled Persons Federation, said at the meeting that this year the federation will continue carrying out various activities in the areas of welfare, employment, and health and education for the country's 20 million disabled people.