MOSCOW, October 31 (RAPSI) – Lawmaker from the ruling United Russia party Igor Barinov has submitted a bill to the State Duma, Russia's lower parliament house, authorising the government to set limits on the number of state officials across the country, RIA Novosti reported on Friday.

The growing number of state officials is a painful issue for Russians, according to the explanatory note attached to the bill.

According to the Russian Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat), the number of officials in the country has increased by about 36 percent in 2000-2012, the explanatory note reads.

The situation varies from one region to another and needs to be revised, the lawmaker says. 

Russia’s Budget Code introduces limits for regional authorities on state officials’ wages, but it does not stipulate restrictions for the number of officials, according to Barinov.

The bill is aimed at balancing this drawback and reducing the number of state officials across the country, the lawmaker says.