White paper to assess extent of corruption

The committee tasked with formulating a white paper on Bangladesh’s economy will assess the extent of corruption in the country and identify the reasons behind it, according to Debapriya Bhattacharya, a distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
However, he said that it would not identify any individuals involved.
“Many people think it is a committee to catch corrupt people, but that is not its purpose. Instead, it will explain why corruption occurred and to what extent,” he said. “The government has its own agencies for finding those responsible.”
Bhattacharya, team leader of the 12-member committee tasked with preparing a white paper on the state of the economy, was speaking at a press briefing after the committee’s first meeting at the Planning Commission in Agargaon yesterday.
Asked whether the committee would publish the names of corrupt individuals, he said it was out of the question.
Regarding the main tasks of the committee, he said they will highlight the challenges in managing the economy and present its true state with data. The report will not detail why these challenges arose, but some indications will be provided.
“At the same time, we will offer some hints on how to overcome these challenges,” Bhattacharya said.
It will also mention measures that can safeguard the country from plunging into such a crisis in the future.
It will not evaluate the activities of the previous government, but will make recommendations to the current government to avoid repeating past mistakes.
He also informed that the newly formed committee would only discuss the country’s mega projects instead of all development projects.
“We are not going to discuss all development projects. We will review the mega projects. If it is necessary to examine any specific project in detail, we will do so,” he said.
“We will review the necessity of undertaking these mega projects and the government’s ability to repay associated loans .”
Regarding the banking sector, Bhattacharya said there will be a separate commission to evaluate it.
The committee will prepare the white paper following a critical evaluation of government data, existing reports and research papers from local think tanks and global institutions. Members will also meet with stakeholders both within and outside Dhaka.
The committee will share interim reports periodically over a three-month period.
“Mega projects and their liabilities will be a major focus of the discussions,” the central bank governor said.
“We will try to identify where the interim government stands now. This will help them prioritise the reform tasks ahead,” he added.
The government formed the panel on Wednesday to prepare a white paper so that strategic steps can be taken to stabilise the economy, reach the country’s Sustainable Development Goals, and mitigate challenges after Bangladesh graduates from the group of least developed countries.
The 11 other committee members include Professor AK Enamul Haque, dean of the business and economics faculty at East West University, Ferdaus Ara Begum, CEO of Business Initiative Leading Development, Imran Matin, executive director of the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development, Dr Kazi Iqbal, senior research fellow at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, and Dr M Tamim, a professor at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.
The other members are: Dr Mohammad Abu Eusuf, a professor of development studies at the University of Dhaka, Professor Mustafizur Rahman, distinguished fellow of the CPD, Dr Selim Raihan, a professor of economics at the University of Dhaka, Dr Sharmind Neelormi, professor of economics at Jahangirnagar University, Dr Tasneem Arefa Siddiqui, founding chair of the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit, and Dr Zahid Hussain, former lead economist of the World Bank.