A total of 249 officials from China’s 24 provincial regions were accused of dereliction of duty, and punished for violating the Party’s and government’s rules, according to a recent report of inspection and investigation results released by the State Council.

The officials, including 41 at the bureau level and 139 at county level, were punished mainly for improper use of funds, delaying construction projects, leaving land idle and holding up the renovation of shantytowns, the report said.

The inspection and investigation were aimed at improving work efficiency and tackling bureaucratic inaction to ensure that this year’s economic growth target is reached.

The investigation team sent by the State Council started the inspection in late May, and 59 officials from seven provinces were held accountable in August.

The State Council recovered 307.5 billion yuan ($48.2 billion) in unspent funds and 200,000 hectares of idle land from the control of central departments and local governments by the end of August.