Efforts to help poor should be better evaluated

ACCORDING TO REPORTS, many officials of a city in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region were mobilized to welcome colleagues from neighboring cities that were visiting to evaluate their poverty alleviation work. Beijing News comments:

According reports, many officials of the city were mobilized to welcome their colleagues: Some drafting materials, some making banners and posters, while some were responsible for dining with the visiting officials. One insider was quoted as saying they had spent at least 200,000 yuan ($30,241) on one reception alone, enough to buy 20 cows for 20 poor families.

The officials who were busy doing this could have been working on something that more directly benefits the impoverished people they are supposed to be helping.