Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury today stressed enhancing the institutional capacity, professional independence, and credibility of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) to strengthen public confidence in official statistics and support evidence-based policymaking.
Minister's Remarks at SID Office Meeting
The minister made these remarks while exchanging views with officials of the Statistics and Informatics Division (SID) and the BBS at the SID office in Dhaka. The meeting was attended by State Minister for Planning Md Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki, Statistics and Informatics Division Secretary Md Firoz Sarkar, Acting Director General of the BBS Md Mir Hossain, and senior officials from both divisions.
Importance of Professionalism and Independence
During the discussion, the minister underscored the importance of ensuring greater professionalism and independence in the production and dissemination of official statistics. He emphasized that government data must remain credible and trusted by citizens.
Directives for BBS and SID
The minister directed the authorities concerned to update the organizational structure and recruitment rules of the BBS to facilitate career development and improve the professional standards of its officials. He also called for expanding research opportunities at the BBS and ensuring the maximum use of official statistics in all government policy formulation and decision-making processes.
Inauguration of BBS Microdata Analysis Laboratory
Following the meeting, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury formally inaugurated the BBS Microdata Analysis Laboratory at the bureau’s headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka. The laboratory is a secure on-site research facility that will allow authorized students, researchers, economists, policymakers, and other approved users to analyze anonymized microdata generated through national censuses and surveys conducted by the BBS.
Significance of the Laboratory
Addressing the inauguration ceremony, the minister said reliable data constitute one of the key foundations of sound planning and national development. He noted that the Microdata Analysis Laboratory would provide researchers and policymakers with a secure and controlled environment for conducting in-depth analysis of government datasets, enabling new avenues of research and knowledge generation.
Commitment to Data-Driven Development
Highlighting the importance of data-driven development, the minister said the laboratory would make a meaningful contribution to building a data-based Bangladesh by transforming data into knowledge and knowledge into development. He thanked the BBS for creating greater public access to official data through the establishment of the facility.
