Officials responsible for generating government statistics have long been compelled by political pressure to produce data in accordance with previous government's demands, said Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Distinguished Fellow Debapriya Bhattacharya, who is also the head of the committee drafting a white paper on the country’s economic state.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday (17 September) following a meeting with 24 government agencies involved in the creation of official statistics, Bhattacharya highlighted that these officials have been unable to publish accurate information due to the coercive environment.
The meeting took place at the Nazia Salma Conference Room in the General Economics Division (GED) of the Planning Commission, Agargaon, Dhaka.
In attendance were members of the white paper committee, as well as representatives from several government institutions, including the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), National Board of Revenue (NBR), Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA), and the Ministry of Agriculture.
Debapriya Bhattacharya noted, "Officials have been forced to produce government statistics that align with the administration’s demands due to pressure." He further advised that those who previously felt unable to provide accurate data now seize the opportunity to present correct statistics.
He also informed journalists that inflation and national income data would be scrutinised in particular.
“The basis for calculating GDP, national income, inflation, and the Annual Development Programme (ADP) estimates is fundamentally weak,” Debapriya Bhattacharya commented, adding, "We will examine how these figures are derived, and for this, we will hold separate discussions with the BBS."
Responding to a question, he stated that the committee has already gathered a substantial amount of data and that the third committee meeting would focus on how to commence the drafting of the report.
He claimed that the committee has received an overwhelming response to their call for open data, and that meetings will soon be held outside Dhaka to gather further information.
However, the eminent economist noted that it is not yet time to reveal what data has been collected so far.
