Kamal refutes survey claim on poverty rate
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal yesterday turned down the findings of a survey that claimed poverty rate in Bangladesh has risen to 42 per cent.
The South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (Sanem) conducted the survey on 5,577 households during November and December last year.
On January 23, the non-profit research organisation revealed the findings of the survey. Kamal also said the survey was illogical and has distorted the real picture.
The finance minister made the comments after a meeting of the cabinet committee on government purchase.
"You people have gone to villages. Do you think that the number of poor people has increased in the country? What a strange statement!" the minister said.
When asked about the government's statistics on the current poverty rate, he replied: "It will be known once Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics conducts a survey on it."
According to government estimates, the poverty rate was 20.4 per cent in December 2019.
"No one is starving because of coronavirus. We have given back jobs to those (who lost it)," he said.
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