China's State Council adopted a draft regulation on Wednesday to promote employment of disabled people.

Government departments at all levels are required to provide more training opportunities for the disabled and help them find jobs, according to the regulation, passed at an executive meeting of the State Council.

The regulation also requires government departments to create more job opportunities for the disabled and better protect their legal rights.

It says that all provinces and regions should include the employment of disabled people into their regional economic and social development plans and work out favorable and protective policies.

An official figure shows that by April 1, 2006, China had nearly 82.96 million disabled people, accounting for 6.34 percent of the country's 1.3 billion population.

The regulation also encourages non-government organizations and individuals to offer assistance to the handicapped.

The meeting also passed another two regulations, one on the setup of local governments and the other on the national fund for natural sciences. The three regulations will take effect after being issued by the State Council.

The meeting was chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao.

(Xinhua News Agency February 15, 2007)