The training of rural labourers has been listed as one of the key government projects for poverty alleviation since 2004. Special funds have been earmarked from State coffers to support such training in order to arm rural labourers with enough know-how  to land jobs in urban areas.

The allocation of these funds means that the rural labourers do not need to spend a penny on their training. Apart from covering their accommodation, food and travelling expenses, a 100 yuan (US$12) subsidy is given to each trainee who goes to work in other provinces and 50 yuan (US$6) is given to those who continue working in their home counties.

What a good training scheme! The officials who have masterminded this are no doubt very considerate.

But a recent investigation by reporters from China Central Television found that a county government in Southwest China's Guizhou Province has forged rosters for trainees in order to swindle these special funds from the State.

The officials in charge at Anlong Buyi and Miao Autonomous County admitted cheating, explaining they were afraid that this project would be cancelled and they would not be able to get the funds next year.

Such an explanation does not hold water. They could have done a good job by bringing 2,000 rural labourers to the local vocational school and giving them the training they were entitled to.

But if they had done so, they would have had to release notices to various townships, mobilize village officials to organize labourers, and make arrangements to provide the trainees with food and lodgings.

And if they had actually spent the money training rural labourers they would have had no chance of pocketing it.

The officials in charge must never be excused for being unclear about their duties to carry out central government policies, and they should never be let off the hook for claiming they did not know how these special State funds should be used.

What they did have in fact prevented the central government's assistance for farmers from getting to where it should. They have also impaired the national strategy to train thousands of rural surplus labourers for jobs in urban areas. And they have deprived the 2,000 local rural labourers of their right to receive training they were entitled to.

Those responsible should pay for their cheating, embezzlement and the diversion of State funds, as well as their abuse of power.

We hope that this is just a single case and that the punishment of these bad officials can serve as a deterrent to other local government officials.