The Statistics Taskforce has proposed the formation of a Statistics Council, though its much-anticipated recommendation for an independent statistics commission has not been included.
On Monday, Taskforce chief Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman submitted the draft recommendations to Planning Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud.
Other taskforce members were also present on the occasion.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting at the Planning Ministry, Dr Hossain Zillur said the proposal envisions a Statistics Council headed by the chief statistician.
Asked whether the taskforce recommended an independent commission, he said: “Such a unidimensional question is difficult to answer. It was not part of the initial mandate. What we have submitted is a bold, timely, and realistic reform package.”
He added that the taskforce was formed to ensure that Bangladesh’s statistical system attains higher standards of quality and transparency. “We have outlined the necessary institutional processes and how they can be structured in a concrete manner,” he said.
The independent taskforce, chaired by Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, also included former BBS Director General Mohammad Abdul Wazed; CPD Executive Director Dr Fahmida Khatun; RAPID Chairman Dr Mohammad Abdur Razzaque; Prof Syed Shahadat Hossain of ISRT, Dhaka University; Prof Mohammad Mainul Islam of the DU Population Sciences Department; Prof Atanu Rabbani of DU Economics Department; and BIDS Research Director Dr Mohammad Yunus.
