Kamal rejects new poor data by private research organisations

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal today rejected to accept the data on new poor that came out earlier through surveys done by private research organisations to measure the effect of Covid-induced income loss.

Over the last one year, Brac Institute for Governance and Development and Power and Participation Research Centre, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM) found in their surveys that poverty rates rose to 35 per cent to 43 per cent as many lost income opportunities in the wake of countrywide shutdown and resultant economic slowdown.  

The government agencies namely Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) did not do any survey during the pandemic and it maintains poverty rate at 20.5 per cent of population.

Replying to a question after a meeting of the cabinet committee on public purchase, Kamal said, "I do not accept this data on new poor. It is important to know the source of the data list, which says the country has 2 crore or 1 crore or 10 new poor."

He said the government cannot accept any data if they are not released by institutions like Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) or Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS).