Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday asked Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics to produce data in a way that is acceptable to all as figures from various sources create confusion.

Bangladesh faces troubles when different state-run agencies come up with different statistics, which is a real concern for planning process, he said.

The minister spoke at a workshop on "National strategy for the development of statistics (NSDS)” at the BBS auditorium in Dhaka.

In recent years, the agriculture and the food ministries were at loggerheads when the former boasted that the country was self-sufficient in food production, and while the latter floated plans for rice imports.

In July, the BBS revised the population upwards to 15.25 crore, but four months later it put the number at 14.80 crore.

Muhith also asked the BBS to work with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to improve the calculation of purchasing power parity (PPP) income as he termed the figures for Bangladesh as worthless and way out of the edge.

According to Muhith, there is something wrong with the PPP standards that have been applied for Bangladesh calculating the standards of living.

Bangladesh needs to have an NSDS because the government's Sixth Five Year Plan stresses the importance of focusing on results, for which a robust statistical system is a key requirement, said Ellen A Goldstein, country director of World Bank.

"The need for a strong statistical system is recognised internationally as an essential part of the results agenda, both to facilitate the design of interventions needed to achieve the desired results, as well as to track progress in different sectors and, where needed, make appropriate adjustments in the strategy."

Goldstein said the implementation of the NSDS would require a compatible legal framework in the governing of the statistical production, developing organisational structures and coordination mechanisms, and mobilising financial resources at all levels.

She also called for proper coordination and avoidance of duplication to ensure cost-effective implementation of the NSDS, as it is important to streamline the various statistical data collection efforts currently underway in Bangladesh and coordination among different agencies.

The WB official also said when implementing the NSDS, it will be important to keep in mind that the country's statistical system should serve the needs not just of government, but also of other stakeholders like the private sector, academia, researchers, and civil society groups.

The World Bank has been supporting the BBS since 2006 to prepare the NSDS through a broad consultative and inclusive process involving numerous stakeholders.

Graham Eele, international consultant for the project, said the value of NSDS would depend on how all recommendations are put into place.

He said the budget would be a main issue for implementing the strategy, as execution of the decade-long plan from 2013 to 2023 would require an investment of Tk 4,705 crore.

Md Nojibur Rahman, acting secretary of the planning ministry; Golam Mostafa Kamal, BBS director general, and Md Dilder Hossain, project director of the NSDS, also spoke.

News: The Daily Star/Bangladesh/20th-Dec-12