Present accurate data

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) has to provide timely and accurate data while keeping an eye on foreign surveys to prevent conflicting information from damaging the country's image, according to Dr Shamsul Alam, the state minister for planning."Though presenting accurate data might sometimes be embarrassing, we, the people in the administration, should always publish data correctly," Alam said.  

"So, we have to ensure that any information gathered can be presented as fact. Otherwise, it creates confusion which does more harm than good," he added.

It has been seen in the past that whenever a case of conflicting information arises, Bangladesh tends to outright deny the accuracy of foreign intelligence on the country.

"But foreign surveys should not be ignored even if we disagree with their data collection process as those reports are vital for creating a global brand image."

Alam made these comments during a programme held to observe National Statistics Day-2022 for the second year in a row at the BBS headquarters in Dhaka yesterday.

He went on to say that as a government agency, the BBS should reduce the disparity between locally and internationally sourced data by ensuring the highest level of accuracy in its reports.

"If you ensure accuracy there would be less chance for any contradictions or conflict," Alam said.

The state minister for planning suggested that instead of sticking to traditional methods of collecting data, the concerned authorities should use an updated approach that makes use of modern technology, such as drones, satellite imagery, and geographic information systems.

While admitting that the population census is significantly late, Planning Minister MA Mannan said that the delay is due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The ministry was supposed to start tabulating the census back in 2021 but the project was pushed back amid recurring waves of the virus.

"Then, we faced complexities in the process but from an honest perspective, we want to do it in a more acceptable and transparent manner than before," he said.

Citing that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has advised the ministry to "take time and do it well", Mannan said that work on the census may begin in April.

Among others, Shahnaz Arefin, secretary of the Statistics and Informatics Division, and Mohammad Tajul Islam, director general of the BBS, were present at the programme.