Money designated to improve people’s livelihoods are common graft targets

Social sectors that are closely related with people’s livelihoods have become a major target of this year’s annual audit report as the country is progressing toward a moderately prosperous society by 2020.

The central government invested a total of 60 billion yuan ($8.78 billion) in special funds for poverty relief in 2016. The National Audit Office had visited 16,600 poverty-stricken families from 158 counties and audited the use of about 33.6 billion yuan of the funds, said Hu Zejun, auditor general of the National Audit Office.

While most of the funds were used efficiently and 12.4 million people were pulled out of poverty last year, auditors have also found some problems, he said.

“The information of 113,400 registered povertystricken people was found to be inaccurate or not updated. Some who have bought highend vehicles or apartments were still registered as poverty-stricken,” Hu said.

He said that auditors had found 141 million yuan of poverty relief funds were improperly spent, as some projects were used for other purposes after completion or abandoned, and 1.95 billion yuan of funds in 84 counties were idle.

Hu made the remarks while delivering an annual audit report to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. The legis-

Some who have bought high-end vehicles or apartments were still registered as poverty-stricken.” Hu Zejun, auditor general of the National Audit Office that were not qualified for affordable houses passed local government verification in 2016.

Highlights

lature is holding its bimonthly session, which will last until Tuesday.

The report also revealed that 474 medical institutes had sold medicine or medical materials worth of 537 million yuan at inflated prices.

More than 1 billion yuan in special funds for affordable housing projects were embezzled for commercial real