From the Chinese press

Grassroots officials deserve raise

After the leak on the Internet on Monday that the majority of civil servants in Lengshuijiang, Hunan province, earn between 2,001 and 4,000 yuan ($330 to $660), netizens are shocked to find that the income of the supposedly high-income group is no more than that of some migrant workers, says an article in Guangming Daily. Excerpts:

The increase in the salaries of civil servants working at the grassroots or posted in remote areas has been low compared with that of people employed in other sectors. But the public, unaware of this fact, tends to believe in the stereotype that all civil servants are well paid and lead a relatively easy life.