CPD to form citizen’s review commission on banking sector

Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) has decided to set up ‘citizen’s review commission’ on banking in view of what it said the “deteriorating health” of the banking sector and the “inertia” of the government to address the problems pro-actively.

This was decided by the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the CPD at its 53rd meeting held on Tuesday in the city, reports UNB. 

The commission will include eminent economists and experts, private sector representatives and former bankers and government officials, according to the civil society think tank.

The proposed citizen’s review commission on banking seeks to establish transparency regarding data and information on the sector, identify the root causes of the malaise, and, suggest remedial measures for the policymakers.

Presided over by CPD Chairman Prof Rehman Sobhan, CPD, the Board meeting was attended by CPD Trustees former Finance Minister M Syeduzzaman, Chairman of Apex group Syed Manzur Elahi, Executive Director, CAMPE Rasheda K Choudhury, eminent jurist Dr Shahdeen Malik; Distinguished CPD Fellows Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya and Prof Mustafizur Rahman; and CPD Executive Director and Member-Secretary of CPD Board of Trustees Dr Fahmida Khatun.

Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem, Research Director and M Shafiqul Islam, Director, Administration & Finance of CPD were also present at the meeting on invitation.  

The Board approved the CPD’s plan for research, dialogue, publication and outreach-related activities for July-June 2019-2020. The meeting also approved the revised budget for the last six months of 2019.

The Board expressed satisfaction over CPD’s research and outreach activities during the last six months (January–June 2019). 

Some of the notable research include tracking of the first hundred days of the government, review of the national budget and four years of SDGs in Bangladesh, the trustees were also informed about a number of important events including an international conference on Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a convention on localisation of SDGs in Bangladesh and CPD’s Anniversary Lecture 2019.

CPD will continue to focus on the theme of youth unemployment.

The CPD Board advised its professionals to monitor, through research and dialogues, implementation of the electoral pledges made by the government in 2018.