Corruption and institutional impediments are the major barriers for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to run their activities smoothly in Bangladesh, NGO representatives told a committee preparing a white paper on the state of the economy yesterday. 

"These hurdles and grafts have been committed, sometimes voluntarily and sometimes with the support of the government's policy," said Debapriya Bhattacharya, head of the committee, quoted the NGO representatives as saying.

Bhattacharya was talking to journalists at National Economic Council in Dhaka on meeting with 78 representatives of different NGOs across the country.

The meeting was a part of a series of dialogues that the 12-member committee was holding with various stakeholders.

Bhattacharya, also a distinguished fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue, said the NGO executives accused the agency in charge of overseeing them, the local administrations and law enforcement agencies of allowing the malpractice.

Non-government development organisations have made a large contribution to Bangladesh's development since the country gained independence in 1971 but were not recognised, he quoted the representatives as saying.