An Independent Taskforce led by Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman has proposed reforms to transform the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) into a modern and independent agency, rebranded as Statistics Bangladesh (StatBD).
The report, submitted by executive chairman of the Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman to Planning Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud, recommends elevating the head of StatBD to chief statistician, forming a seven-member Trust and Transparency Council, amending the Statistics Act 2013 to ensure autonomy, and expanding the structure to 16 wings with 437 new upazila-level posts.
It also calls for budgetary independence with an immediate Tk50 crore allocation, open data policies with pre-announced release calendars, advisory committees, and annual stakeholder conferences.
To strengthen capacity, it proposes creating a StatBD Training Academy and a Methodological Advisory Council to ensure standardisation across surveys and harmonize data produced by different agencies. The taskforce stressed that reforming BBS is key to restoring trust and ensuring credible, independent statistics for policymaking and public accountability.