CPD to form citizen’s commission on banking

Holiday Report
Amidst scandalous development in the banking sector over the past years the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) has decided to set up ‘citizen’s commission’ on banking to look into the cause and effect of it in the banking system and on the country’ overall economy.
The “deteriorating health” of the banking is key for examination and the “inertia” of the government to address the problems pro-actively will primarily come under the review of the banking experts to make transparent what is happening in the banking sector, the source said.
The decision to set up the commission has been taken on Tuesday at the CPD’s 53rd board meeting held in the city. The commission will include eminent economists and experts, private sector representatives and former bankers and government officials, according to the civil society think tank.
UNB adds: 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 RehmanSobhan, CPD, the Board meeting was attended by CPD Trustees former Finance Minister M Syeduzzaman, Chairman of Apex group Syed ManzurElahi, Executive Director, CAMPE Rasheda K Choudhury, eminent jurist DrShahdeen Malik; Distinguished CPD Fellows DrDebapriya Bhattacharya and Prof Mustafizur Rahman; and CPD Executive Director and Member-Secretary of CPD Board of Trustees DrFahmidaKhatun.
DrKhondaker 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.