TDS Desk:

A 12-member committee has been formed for the preparation of a comprehensive “white paper” on the state of Bangladesh’s economy.

The committee will be chaired by Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and convenor of the Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh, according to a list of the committee members published by the Chief Adviser’s Office.

The development comes a day after Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus authorised the formation of the committee.

Other members of the committee are – Prof AK Enamul Haque, dean, Faculty of Business and Economics, East West University; Ferdaus Ara Begum, chief executive officer, Business Initiative Leading Development; Imran Matin, executive director, BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University; Dr Kazi Iqbal, research director, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS); Dr M Tamim, professor, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) and former special assistant to the chief adviser (2008); Dr Mohammad Abu Eusuf, professor, Department of Development Studies, Dhaka University; Prof Mustafizur Rahman, distinguished fellow, CPD; Dr Selim Raihan, professor, Department of Economics, Dhaka University, and executive director, South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (Sanem); Dr Sharmind Neelormi, professor, Department of Economics, Jahangirnagar University; Dr Tasneem Arefa Siddiqui, former professor, Department of Political Science, Dhaka University, and founding chair, Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU); and Dr Zahid Hussain, former lead economist, World Bank Dhaka office and eminent columnist.

The “white paper” will outline strategic recommendations aimed at stabilising the economy, achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and addressing the challenges faced by Bangladesh as it transitions from the least developed country (LDC) status.