The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) on Tuesday has questioned the authenticity of the data used in calculating a high growth estimate as it does not match with the growth of key macroeconomic indicators.
On March 19, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics forecast the GDP (gross domestic product) growth to be 8.13 per cent for fiscal year 2019-20. This is for the first time in the country's history that the growth above 8.0 per cent has been projected for a fiscal year.
At a programme to review the first 100 days of the current government on Tuesday, the leading think tank said the trend of major indicators, like private sector credit, revenue mobilisation, private investment and employment generation, are on the decrease while productivity is far below the level of expectation.
“We don’t see any consistent changes in major indicators in accordance with the growth. Then, what benefits will such higher growth bring for us?,” CPD distinguished fellow Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya said.
They also expressed their worries over the outcomes of the growth, even if it is done properly.
The CPD also demanded full disclosure of data considered in estimating GDP (gross domestic product) as it believes proper estimation can help make proper policy guidelines in the coming years.
