Dhaka, Nov. 7 -- Most money for a World Bank-funded development project for Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) has been allocated for operational expenses on ancillaries that range from toiletries to foreign trainings, raising questions about justification.

On the wish-list are toilet tissues, toilet cleaning detergents, staff ID cards, office decoration, vehicle maintenance and fuel, sources have said.

The allocations are part of the Tk 10.96-billion funds for Statistical Capacity Enhancement and Modernization Project (SCEPM), which aims to strengthen the country's statistical capacity and raise Bangladesh's Statistical Performance Indicator (SPI) score to 75 by 2030 from 70.8 in 2023.

The project seeks to build a modern and integr...