2015年CRI Failed Project Raises Concern over Lottery Fund Use（在线收听）

The massive Starlight Project was launched around 14-years ago.

Three years after its launch, the project was credited with funding more than 30-thousand senior care centers in residential communities across China through some 14-billion yuan, which was raised mostly through lottery sales.

However, a new expose by China Central Television has revealed the project has since collapsed.

The plan's designer is Yan Qingchun, who used to be with the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

"It's estimated that 75 percent of these centers have been shut down. In our original plan, all communities throughout the country would be covered under the project. However, it ended in failure in less than three years."

Local care center operators who managed the project are being blamed.

It's being suggested most of them profited through renting out the rooms.

Money raised through lotteries in China is designed to promote social welfare.

And with lottery sales shooting up in recent years, lottery-funded projects have also been on the rise.

However, Wang Yukai with the China Society of Administrative Reform suggests more scrutiny needs to be done before projects created through lottery sales are approved.

"The first thing is to work out a feasibility plan. Plans which don't meet standards shouldn't be approved. Local authorities need to be consulted as to whether the plan will work for their community. However, it’s also important to ensure local officials don't use the money for their own ends."

Wang Yukai suggests the Ministry of Civil Affairs should be stripped of its duties as both the lottery regulator and the fund manager.

"The civil affairs department itself is in charge of planning and implementing the projects as well as supervising their implementation. It's impossible for one to play a dual role as an athlete and referee at the same time."

A nation-wide audit has found nearly 17-billion yuan raised through lottery sales has been embezzled or misused over the past 3-years.

For CRI, I'm Yu Yang.