Such studies hamper government efforts to attract foreign investment, he said at a workshop in Dhaka where a report titled ‘ICT Use and Access by Individuals and Household, Bangladesh-2013’ was released.
“It is really unfortunate that we are getting to use a 2013 study in 2016,” Palak said.
“Will we continue to publish studies two years later like this or should we not update the information and show it to the world?
“The companies registered in our software have earned $250 million and the freelancers have brought in another $50 million. But these are not in the BBS report.
“The report says $100 million has been earned whereas the amount has exceeded $300 million.”
The state minister said, “Investors gather information on Bangladesh from the World Bank and the Bureau of Statistics. Such statistics create problems for us to attract [foreign] investment.”
He also requested the BBS to consult the ICT Division before preparing such reports in future.
BBS Director General Mohammad Abdul Wazed admitted capacity deficiency of the bureau in releasing information speedily.
“The state minister had already told the press about the embarrassing situation triggered by the BBS report. Then we thought we should discuss with the ICT Division about it. So, we organised this workshop.”
ICT Division Secretary Shyam Sundar Shikder was present at the programme.