The interim government has not taken any of the measures recommended by the White Paper on the state of the economy and the task force, even after a long time since the report's submission, said an economist yesterday. 

"We are yet to see any progress or discussion inside the government about the White Paper and the task force's recommendations," said Prof Selim Raihan, a member of the both White Paper and Task Force.

"Even the interim government didn't ask us (panel members) to explain what we had written or recommended," said Prof. Raihan, also the executive director of the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (Sanem).

He made the comments at a seminar titled "Unveiling the Truth: The State of Bangladesh's Economy and Governance," held at the University of Dhaka's Economics Department. The event, organised by the Economics Study Center, was attended by nearly a hundred students.

On 28 August, a 12-member committee was formed, was given three  months to prepare the report, submitted on December 01, which aims to provide a clearer picture of  the economy. 

"There was a significant opportunity for the government to engage with panel members, who are among the country's top economists," said Prof. Raihan.

He further noted that various institutions and ministries could have implemented the recommendations relevant to their respective sectors, but no such steps have been taken.

He believes the interim government could adopt some of the recommendations, setting a precedent for the next political government to build upon and implement them further.

Besides, the taskforce report called "Re-strategising the Economy and Mobilising Resources  for Equitable and Sustainable Development" was submitted January 30 to the Chief  Adviser.

Prof Raihan said the Awami League government took on many projects without conducting proper feasibility studies, causing great losses for the country.

"Many projects lack proper feasibility studies. Even when studies were conducted, they were often flawed and overestimated," he said.

He also gave examples of Chattogram's Karnaphuli Tunnel, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project, and the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway.

Regarding Sri Lanka's financial recovery, Prof. Raihan said their central bank was free from political interference, which helped them recover quickly from the economic crisis.

Denouncing Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H. Mansur's recent comments on the International Monetary Fund—that Bangladesh does not need IMF funds if it can generate adequate revenue.

"If it happens, that's fair and good. But I fear that we're going to walk away from reform again," said Prof Raihan.