Over 1 lakh officials punished in China during austerity drive

BEIJING: Around 19,000 officials were reprimanded for violating austerity rules in the first half of 2015 in China, the ruling Communist Party's top anti-graft body today said, bringing the total number of those punished since 2012 to over 1,20,000.

Those punished in the first six months of this year were involved in 14,000 cases, the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said in a report.

The figures represent a significant drop from last year, when more than 71,000 officials were reprimanded in more than 53,000 cases, signalling that the "eight-point rules" introduced on December 4, 2012 aimed at reducing bureaucracy, extravagance, and undesirable work habits may be taking effect, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The CCDI warned that the number of violations and officials involved has been on the rise since March.

In June alone, more than 4,300 officials were reprimanded in more than 3,100 cases, it said.

Violations include using official vehicles for personal errands, providing unauthorised subsidies, and holding extravagant receptions, weddings and funerals.