BEIJING -- A draft law deliberated by the top legislature proposes more legal aid resources for the country's remote regions.

The draft legal aid law on Tuesday returned to the National People's Congress Standing Committee for a third reading.

A mechanism for the trans-regional flow of legal services resources will be established and improved, and lawyers and legal aid volunteers will be encouraged to offer legal aid services in regions with insufficient legal resources, the draft reads.

It defines legal aid as a service rendered by the State free of charge to people in financial difficulty and other personnel that meet the statutory requirements. The service ranges from legal counseling to criminal defense.