DHAKA, Feb 26, 2024 (BSS) -The government will observe National Statistics Day-2024 tomorrow for the fourth time.

The theme of this year's National Statistics Day is "Smart Statistics, Stairs of Development" (Smart Parishongkhan, Unnoyoner Sopan), an official release said here today.

The day will be observed under the joint initiative of Statistics and Informatics Division and the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) under the Planning Ministry. 

President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages on the eve of the day.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin in his message said Father of Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman established the BBS in 1974 as a unique and separate body for ensuring accurate and reliable "statistics and informatics" for the adoption and implementation of proper developmental plans for the country's socioeconomic development.

Since its inception, BBS has been providing time-befitting and reliable information and data for formulation of policy, adoption of development plan, implementation and evaluation of those at national and regional levels, he said.

The President said BBS can accelerate the government's efforts to build a Smart Bangladesh and Sonar Bangla with the use of digital technology in collection, compilation and publication of information.

In this regard, the theme of this year's National Statistics Day "Smart Statistics, Stairs of Development" has become very perfect and time-befitting, he said. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman established BBS in 1974 by merging four separate statistical agencies, realizing the importance of quality statistics to formulate a robust development plan and examine the progress of the implementation of the country after the great War of Liberation in 1971.
 
The Statistics Division was later established in 1975 to coordinate and provide secretarial support to the national statistician system including BBS, the premier added.
One of the manifestations of the capacity of the National Statistical System is conducting of population and housing census in a complete digital method for the first time in 2022 and publishing the preliminary report within a month.

She hoped her government would be able to build a hunger and poverty-free, developed and prosperous Sonar Bangladesh as dreamt by father of nation within 2041 by adopting the effective plan and development strategy through time-befitting and standard statistical system and thus establish a Smart Bangladesh.

Both the president and the premier wished the overall success of all the programmes taken on the occasion of the National Statistics Day-2024.