MOSCOW, June 4 (RAPSI) - A government commission has approved a bill increasing the liability of directors of federal and municipal enterprises, state-run companies, and joint stock companies, the government press office reports.

The proposal is to qualify the heads of state-run companies, federal and municipal enterprises, and joint stock companies in which the government holds a stake as state officials.

The bill calls for adding liability for negligence which caused major damages (in excess of 7.5 million rubles ($234,000) to Article 293 of the Criminal Code (Negligence).

The new legislation has been sponsored by the Justice Ministry following the president's order to crackdown on abuses of office in the implementation of state and municipal projects.

The Kremlin launched a much-vaunted anti-corruption campaign last fall, promising to limit the right of legislators and state officials to own assets abroad, purging several lawmakers over allegations of illegal business activity and implicating then-Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov in a large-scale corruption case.

The Transparency International global watchdog estimated the cost of corruption in Russia at $300 billion in 2012, placing Russia 133rd out of 174 countries in its Corruption Perceptions Index last year.