Bangladesh will not form an independent statistics commission but instead a seven-member Statistics Council to ensure transparency and accountability in data management, according to a draft report submitted to the Planning Adviser.

The report recommends renaming the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) to Statistics Bangladesh (STAT), with its head designated as Chief Statistician.

The council will oversee appointments, cadre recruitment, and audit processes, led by the Planning Adviser. Amendments to the Statistics Act 2013, expansion into 16 branches, and creation of 437 new upazila-level posts have been proposed.

Taskforce chief Hossain Zillur Rahman noted that implementing these recommendations would bring about “major institutional reforms.” The report also urged a Tk 50 crore budget allocation to strengthen BBS’s autonomy.