Task force formed to lay foundation for discrimination-free development

The committee has been tasked with preparing a preliminary comprehensive report within the next three months.

The interim government has formed a task force to redefine economic strategies and mobilise the necessary resources to achieve inclusive and sustainable development.

The Planning Division announced the 12-strong committee's formation in an order on Tuesday night.

The task force will be led by KAS Murshid, former director-general of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, or BIDS.

Following the ousting of Sheikh Hasina through a student-led movement, the interim government, committed to building an inclusive Bangladesh, has pledged reforms across various sectors.

This move marks an official step towards achieving sustainable economic development.

The other members of the task force include Syed Akhtar Mahmood, former World Bank official; Selim Raihan, professor of economics at Dhaka University; Abdur Razzaq, former head of the research department at the Commonwealth Secretariat; and Mushfiq Mobarak, professor of economics at USA’s Yale University.

The committee also includes Shamsul Hoque, professor at BUET; Rumana Huque, professor of economics at Dhaka University; Syed Nasim Manzur, former president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, or MCCI; Monzur Hossain, research director at Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, or BIDS; Fahmida Khatun, executive director at the Centre for Policy Dialogue, or CPD; and AKM Fahim Mashroor, CEO of BDjobs.

Md Kausar Ahmed, a member (general economics division) of the Planning Commission, has been appointed as the member secretary of the task force.

The office order said the committee, composed of experts, will prepare a preliminary comprehensive report within the next three months to establish a foundation for a fair, sustainable, and dynamic economy.

There is a provision for adding new members to the task force if necessary.