GDP data, with unpaid household work, to be published soon: Mannan

The government is likely to announce the gross domestic product (GDP) figures soon by incorporating women's unpaid household work, said Planning Minister MA Mannan today.

"We have already drafted a figure with the help of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies. And, a fairly predictable figure has arrived," Mannan said.

After informing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, it will be announced soon, he added.

The initiative to include such unpaid work came upon directions from the premier a few months ago.

"Women do domestic chores all their life, but their work has remained unreported for a long time," the premier then said.

Publishing GDP figures by incorporating such unpaid work would lead to two benefits, Mannan said.

The first will be a truer representation of the economy's figures and the second will be recognition and dignity for those doing such work.

"In future, we will institutionalise it."

Mannan made the comments as a chief guest at the launching ceremony of a book, titled "Sahoj Kathay Orthoniti", at Bangla Academy.

The book was written by Birupaksha Paul, former chief economist of the Bangladesh Bank.

The book contains 10 chapters about basic economics, classification of markets, commodity markets, labour economics, open market economy and monetary economics.

"I have tried to aggregate personal economic issues to the free-market economy, including the society and nation's economic perspective," said Paul, a professor of economics at the State University of New York.

He wants to translate the book into English for foreign readers.

During his speech, Paul compared inflation to blood pressure in the human body.

He explained that inflation worked like blood pressure, creating problems for consumers when it rises and hitting investment when it falls.

"This is not only important students with an economics background, it will help all readers, including policymakers," Atiur Rahman, former governor of Bangladesh Bank, said about the book.

Mohammad Nurul Huda, director general of Bangla Academy presided over the event.

Among others, Md Abdus Samad, chairman of the Social Development Foundation, and Shahid Ullah, publisher of the Aloghar Prakashana, spoke at the event.