Beijing - The central government has urged provincial governments to step up efforts to ensure the supply of affordable housing by holding top provincial leaders accountable for the task.

The move is seen as another major effort by the central government to address the housing issue after the State Council, or the Cabinet, introduced a slew of measures to curb rocketing housing prices in the country in April.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development signed documents on Wednesday with all the 31 provincial, municipal and autonomous region governments, as well as Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, to guarantee that they will fulfill the construction of much-needed housing this year.