BEIJING, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities announced on Thursday that another 41 administrative charges will be canceled or halted across the country, starting from next month.

The charges include service fees for environmental monitoring and certification fees for drug regulation, according to a notice released by the Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission.

In China, administrative approvals to conduct businesses and access public services usually involve drawn-out and redundant procedures.

To simplify the procedures and reduce burdens on businesses and individuals, the government is committed to redistributing authority or eliminating the requirements.

Central government departments controlled 1,526 approval items in 2013. More than a third have since been canceled or delegated to lower agencies. Last year, China canceled the requirement on a further 165 items for review by State Council departments.