Accurate data collection is vital for ensuring equitable development, said Aleya Akter, Secretary of the Statistics and Informatics Division of the Ministry of Planning.
She made these remarks on Thursday in Sylhet, speaking as the chief guest at the Dissemination Programme on Poverty Map of Bangladesh 2022.
Organised jointly by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and the World Food Programme, the event was held at the Sylhet Divisional Commissioner’s Office. The session was chaired by Divisional Commissioner Khan Md. Reza-un-Nabi. Among the special guests were BBS Director General Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Additional Secretary S.M. Shakil Akhter, and DIG of Sylhet Range Police Md. Mushfequr Rahman.
In her address, Secretary Akter stressed that poverty mapping aims to identify the most deprived regions for targeted development. However, the tendency of people to provide incorrect or incomplete information often hampers the effectiveness of such surveys.
A presentation on district and upazila-level poverty data from the 2022 BBS survey was delivered by Deputy Director Mahiuddin Ahmed. Participants, including university professors, officials, and journalists, discussed strategies for poverty reduction.
Speakers emphasised scientific, inclusive surveys and equitable resource allocation to improve living standards and achieve national development goals.
