All deals inked during AL regime will be examined: Debapriya

Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, head of the white paper preparation committee on the economy, announced that all agreements made during the Awami League regime will be closely examined.

Additionally, inflation and national income data will also receive special scrutiny.

Speaking at a meeting held at the Nazia Salma Conference Room of the Planning Commission in Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on Tuesday, Debapriya said, "GDP, national income, inflation, and the Annual Development Program (ADP) are currently estimated on weak material bases. We will investigate how these estimates are produced, and for this purpose, we will hold separate discussions with the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS)."

The meeting was attended by representatives from 24 organisations involved in producing, serving, and evaluating government data, including officials from BBS, BIDS, NBR, BIDA, BEZA, BCIC, and the Ministry of Agriculture. 

Dr Mostafizur Rahman and Dr Selim Raihan, both members of the white paper drafting committee, were also present at the meeting.

Debapriya highlighted the challenges faced by government officials in providing accurate data due to political pressures. 

"Officials were often unable to deliver accurate information due to political pressure. As a result, they were forced to rely on government estimates. Now, we are urging those who couldn't provide accurate information before to take this opportunity to be transparent," he said.

He further said that original documents for all types of agreements, including those related to the energy sector, would be requested and thoroughly reviewed.

In response to a question about the progress of the white paper, Debapriya said, "We have held two meetings so far and gathered the necessary data. We are now planning how to begin the writing process. The response to our open data request has been very encouraging, and we plan to hold a town hall meeting outside Dhaka soon. As for any inside information, it’s not the right time to reveal it—time will tell."