TDS Desk:

The autocratic Awami League (AL) government used threats and pressures to prevent government officials from publicising correct data on the state of the national economy, the officials have told the state-backed Whitepaper Committee.

On Tuesday, the committee’s chief Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya revealed the past plights of the officials and announced the procedures for calculating inflation, GDP and per capita income would be reviewed for addressing the inherent methodological weaknesses.

The original documents of all the international accords signed during the 15-year Awami League regime would also be reviewed, Dr Debapriya said.

On Tuesday, Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya hosted a meeting with 24 government agencies, tasked with preparing, publishing and estimating economic data, on the Planning Commission premises in the capital.

Representatives from BBS, BIDS, NBR, BIDA, BEZA, BSEC, Agricultural Ministry and others took part in the meeting.

The whitepaper committee has found huge response to its open pleas for economic data from all concerned, Debapriya claimed adding that with the data collected process nearly completed his team would soon launch municipal and city-level meetings outside the capital.

Notably, the interim government has tasked a team of economists to prepare a whitepaper on the state of the national economy to determine the extent of the damage the corrupt Awami League government did until its ouster on 5 August in a student-led revolution.