16,000 punished for violating frugality guidelines

A total of 16,699 people have been punished for violating the frugality guidelines of the Communist Party of China (CPC) amid anti-corruption efforts, the Party disciplinary watchdog said Monday.

Among them, 3,721 had received Party or administrative punishment by the end of September, according to the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

In December of last year, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Commission issued a package of rules requiring officials to improve their work styles and refrain from excessive spending, and the rules have been strictly implemented since then.

The officials who have received punishment mostly served at the township level and were involved in violations of regulations concerning the ban on government building projects, excessive spending on receptions, use of government vehicles for private purposes, unnecessary trips in China and abroad using public money, as well as excessively large wedding banquets, according to the notice posted on the CCDI's official website.

Other cases included giving and receiving gifts during holidays, using public money for luxury consumption, and indolent work styles.