Beijing, Dec 7 (IANS): China's Communist Party Central (CPC) Committee is planning to expand its discipline inspections to all government-run and sponsored institutions next year, the media reported on Monday.

Conducting “inspections across the board” has been fixed as a task in a revised version of the CPC’s disciplinary regulations and is considered an important way to strictly govern the party, said Luo Liping from the office of the CPC Central Committee’s inspection leadership group.

To achieve the aim, inspections at the central level will cover 280 ministries, local governments, major state-owned enterprises, and financial and public institutions, he said.

Discipline inspections have grown more intensive since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012.

They focus on investigating and punishing officials violating Party or frugality rules, especially those embezzling public money, taking bribes, or buying and selling government positions.

The leadership group has overseen 149 inspections since late 2012 and will conclude inspections - totalling to over 100 - of local governments and financial institutions, including the central bank, securities regulators and state-owned lenders, by the end of the year, Luo said.

All governments, companies and public institutions under the administration of the central authorities will be inspected before the 19th CPC National Congress, he said.

The CPC Central Committee published a revised version of its disciplinary regulations in October, as the party sought to improve the management of its 88 million members amid a sweeping anti-corruption drive.

Many high-ranking officials have since been punished, including Ling Jihua, a former member of the CPC Central Committee, and Song Lin, the former chairman of state-owned China Resources (Holdings) Co.