YINCHUAN, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Hu Chunhua, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has stressed the need to strengthen follow-up work on the country's relocation programs for poverty-alleviation purposes.

Work must be done to ensure that those relocated can settle down, find jobs, and gradually become wealthy, said Hu, also chief of the State Council leading group on poverty alleviation and development, when addressing a meeting held here on Thursday.

Completing the relocation programs is only the first step, while the follow-up support is a more important but more arduous long-term task, which should now be a priority, according to Hu.

Hu stressed efforts to assist the relocated population with employment, strengthen the social safety net, improve the infrastructure and public services in the resettlement areas, and help them integrate into the local communities.

He also called for developing the county-level economy and industries, which would serve to gradually narrow the income gap between the relocated population and residents.