, Nov. 8 -- Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Sunday said the government would ensure full independence of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and make reliable data accessible to strengthen evidence-based policymaking and restore public confidence in official statistics.

"Data is the most important asset on a government's balance sheet. Without accurate data, there is no scope for moving forward," he said at a a discussion marking the National Statistics Day 2026 at the BBS auditorium in Dhaka.

He said government officials aligning their work with the programmes and priorities of an elected government was a normal practice in democratic countries, expressing satisfaction that Bangladesh was gradually m...