BEIJING, March 10 -- Senior Chinese leaders called for greater efforts to be made to fight poverty and corruption Tuesday as they joined the country's lawmakers in discussion during the ongoing annual legislative session.

Top legislator Zhang Dejiangurged local authorities to bring more benefits to the people and lift more out of poverty.

He made the remarks while joining lawmakers from northwest China's Gansu Province in a panel discussion during the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature.

Zhang called on local authorities to ensure the basic life requirements of the needy so that they can simultaneously usher in the moderately prosperous society along with others in the nation by 2020.

"We should provide more timely help to the people," he said.

Top political advisor Yu Zhengshengparticipated in a panel discussion with deputies from northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

Yu urged local authorities to speed up industrial restructuring and upgrading amid a "new normal" of the world's second largest economy, with greater attention given to education, employment and poverty reduction.

Efforts should be made to safeguard ethnic unity, social stability and national integrity, Yu said.

Religious affairs should be handled in line with the law and religious extremism should be firmly rejected, he added.

Wang Qishan, head of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, told deputies from the corruption-plagued Shanxi Province that graft should be contained with resolute measures.

A string of corruption cases have been reported in Shanxi amid China's ongoing anti-corruption campaign.

Wang called on local authorities to implement the goal of comprehensively strictly governing the CPC.

The senior official also urged the authorities to rebuild a desirable political ecology in the province.

Joining a panel discussion with deputies from south China's Guangdong Province, Vice Premier Zhang Gaolicalled on local authorities to spearhead the innovation-driven economic development and lead their way in the strategic economic restructuring.