The authorities in Cuba have revealed plans to triple the communist country's private sector¹.

古巴官员透露了使这个共产主义国家私营经济加速发展的计划。

They include issuing about 250,000 licences allowing people to run their own businesses.

Under the new rules, Cubans will be able to rent out rooms to tourists, work as self-employed gardeners, iron clothes and shine shoes（擦鞋） .

For the first time, Cubans will be allowed to employ people other than（除了，不同于） relatives.

Officials said the decision to relax the rules on private employment would increase production levels and efficiency.

They come weeks after it was announced that a million state employees would be laid off to help revive（复兴，苏醒） the economy.

The plans were published in Granma, the Cuban Communist Party's newspaper.