Individuals, organizations honored for good job in addressing public's concerns

BEIJING, Feb. 18 -- Eighty individuals and 32 organizations were honored here Wednesday for their outstanding contributions to the work of addressing public's concerns through administrative reconsideration.

Citizens, legal representatives and organizations are entitled to apply to departments at a higher level for administrative reconsideration if they are not happy with the administrative actions taken by government organizations or if they think those actions violated their lawful rights and interests, according to the country's administrative reconsideration law.

State Councilor Ma Kai attended Wednesday's meeting, at which these outstanding individuals and organizations were commended and attendees exchanged their experience in conducting administrative reconsideration.

Ma urged relevant departments to improve work efficiency and make innovation in the administrative reconsideration system and mechanism.

Ma said the administrative reconsideration system could help people channel their needs and complaints. It also played an important role in solving administrative disputes and promoting social fairness and justice.

"It could help to deal with the needs of different social groups and safeguard people's fundamental rights and interests in front of the big challenges brought on by economic and social developments," he said.

He stressed that government officials should always use laws and legal methods to solve problems and contradictions in economic and social developments and to safeguard social stability.