The committee formed to prepare a white paper on the state of Bangladesh's economy is tasked with analyzing the causes and extent of corruption, not with identifying or "catching" those involved, said Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, the head of the committee, on Thursday.
“The committee will focus on explaining the reasons behind corruption and assessing its severity. Identifying those involved in corrupt practices falls under the jurisdiction of the government and its relevant agencies,” said the economist while speaking to reporters following the first meeting of the committee held at the General Economics Division (GED) in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka.
He said the committee’s purpose is to promote transparency in the economic landscape of the country.
Through this exercise, the current government will better understand what they have inherited to govern the country, he added.
During the first meeting, the committee members discussed several key topics, including the context and purpose of the initiative, the scope and methodology of their work, the tentative structure of the final report, outreach and communication strategies, division of tasks among team members, and other related matters.
Dr Debapriya also said the committee is not responsible for implementing any reform measures.
He further said that the committee will not conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the banking sector and financial institutions.
The government is planning to form a Banking Commission, which will be established in the future to address those issues, he concluded.
