Debapriya Bhattacharya, a distinguished fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and convenor of the Citizen’s Platform for SDGs Bangladesh, has been reappointed to the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) for a three-year term with effect from January 1 next year.
The interim government must devise a two-year mid-term plan on how to steer the economy in addition to an assessment of the past months and a short-term plan for the upcoming six months, said Debapriya Bhattacharya, the chair of the white paper committee.
Says, turned Bangladesh from crony capitalism to kleptocracy
Politicians aided by loyal bureaucrats were behind irregularities in development projects taken and implemented when the Awami League was in power, secretaries and other officials told a whitepaper panel.
The authoritarian political practices by the previous Awami League government gave rise to crony capitalism and the cronies later started to control the politics to dictate the terms of the economy, said Debapriya Bhattacharya, chief of the panel to prepare a white paper on the state of the economy.
The previous government’s economic data were based on weak foundations, reflecting a sense of helplessness by officials of that time, according to Debapriya Bhattacharya, a distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue.
The government will prepare a white paper on the state of the economy so that strategic steps can be taken to stabilise the economy, reach the SDGs, and mitigate the challenges after Bangladesh graduates from the LDC grouping.
The budget for the upcoming fiscal year, presented in the context of inordinately complex economic circumstances, reflects both the government’s restraint and limitations.
Persistent high inflation, high debt burden and slow economic growth are the three challenges facing the economy, noted economist Debapriya Bhattacharya said yesterday.
“Per capita income is the income that is not seen by mass people but built on a few people.”
The government should prioritise job creation and inflation control in the budget for the next fiscal year in a bid to help the marginalised people survive amid higher prices of essentials, said the Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh, yesterday.
The upcoming national budget for 2022-23 should focus on creating jobs and controlling inflation for the survival of the marginalised people, said Debapriya Bhattacharya, convener of the Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) asks banks to provide financial information on accounts held by Centre for Policy Dialogue’s Distinguished Fellow Debapriya Bhattacharya, his wife and their family members within seven days.