Dhaka, August 28 — A 12-member committee headed by Debapriya Bhattacharya has been established to draft a white paper on the current economic status of Bangladesh. This initiative follows the recent formation of the interim government, which came into power after the fall of the Awami League government earlier this month.

The formation of the committee was announced by the office of the Chief Adviser of the interim government on Wednesday. The decision to publish a comprehensive white paper on the economic condition of Bangladesh was first declared on August 22, signaling the government's commitment to transparency and economic reform.

The committee is led by Debapriya Bhattacharya, an Honorary Fellow at the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), a prominent think tank in Bangladesh. Alongside Bhattacharya, the committee includes 11 other distinguished members from various academic and research institutions.

Notable members of the committee include:

Mostafizur Rahman, another CPD Honorary Fellow

Dr. M. Tamim, Professor at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET)

Zahid Hossain, former Chief Economist of the World Bank's Dhaka office

Kazi Iqbal, Senior Research Fellow at Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS)

Professor M. Abu Yusuf, Professor in the Development Studies Department at Dhaka University

Professor Tasnim Siddiqui, Founder Chair of the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RAMRU) and former Professor at Dhaka University’s Political Science Department

Salim Raihan, Executive Director of the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM) and Professor of Economics at Dhaka University

Professor Sharmind Nilormi, Department of Economics at Jahangirnagar University

Professor AK Enamul Haque, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics at East West University

Ferdous Ara Begum, Chief Executive Officer of Business Initiative Leading Development (BILD)

Imran Mateen, Executive Director of BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD)

The committee, named the "White Paper Formulation Committee on the Existing Economic Status of Bangladesh," has been tasked with preparing a comprehensive report. This report will include a detailed analysis of the current economic situation and provide recommendations for future policy actions. The committee is expected to consult with various stakeholders and experts to ensure a broad and inclusive perspective.

The report is to be submitted to the Chief Adviser of the interim government within the next 90 days. The formation of this committee and the planned publication of the white paper underscore the interim government's intent to address economic challenges through informed policy-making and stakeholder engagement.