He alleged that at the same time, although the boat census showed the number of engine-powered boats as 13,000, the actual number was 267,000. He alleged that the Awami League government used statistics as a narrative of development.
Titumir said these things on Sunday (November 8) at a discussion meeting organized at the auditorium of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) on the occasion of National Statistics Day.
He said statistics should not be seen merely as a subject in textbooks. In the past, statistics was also used as a tool to tell lies. Currently, a fight between information and misinformation is going on worldwide; in such a situation, it is important to make the country's statistical system reliable.
More to Read
He said that to change this situation, modern technology and scientific methods are being followed in data collection and verification. The government has taken three major reform initiatives in the statistical system—first, producing quality and science-based statistics following international standards; second, ensuring the use of accurate information in public policy formulation and government service implementation; third, making statistics easily accessible to ordinary people, researchers and educational institutions.
The Prime Minister's adviser also raised questions about the implementation of social safety net programs. He said that in these programs, the actual beneficiaries have been left out, while those who should not receive benefits have also received them; this has wasted the state's limited resources. To reduce such errors, scientific methods including proximity tests are being followed.