The municipal government will launch 23 initiatives this year to improve the life of Shanghai residents, said the government spokesman, Xu Wei, yesterday.

The initiatives include adding 7,000 beds to nursing homes, opening 20 more neighborhood nursing homes, establishing clinics in 50 nursing homes, setting up 40 community canteens for seniors, and opening 40 day-care centers.

The city will replace electricity meters for 900,000 homes in old buildings, conduct safety check on 1,200 elevators installed before year 2000, upgrade fire facilities in 100 residential communities, and add fire equipment to 500 residential high-rises that are 15 years old.

Also this year, the city will renovate 47 underpasses, install flood monitors in 120 underpasses and warning devices in 40 underpasses, and build flood drainage systems in nine downtown areas.

The city will help 8,000 youths who have not been employed for a long term to land a job, establish a domestic helper registration system for up to 120,000 maids and nannies, and provide annual credit reports to all Shanghai companies and residents for free.

Other targets set for this year include opening 60 youth activity centers, standardizing adult education for seniors, setting up 200 summertime day-care centers for schoolchildren, increasing vertical greenery by 400,000 square meters, extending the waste-sorting bonus system to cover 1 million more homes, opening four central kitchens to supply breakfast, building or renovating 50 community sport fields, paving 50 jogging paths in local parks, renovating 100 suburban villages and installing facilities in 1,000 needy rural families with a disabled member.