DMEO, NITI Aayog Partners with IFC to Bolster Monitoring and Evaluation

New Delhi: The Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog entered an institutional partnership with the Institute for Competitiveness (IFC) to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation ecosystem in India.

Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog and Institute for Competitiveness (IFC) have entered an institutional partnership
Through the partnership, the organizations intend to work towards strengthening the monitoring and evaluation ecosystem in India
Under the three-year partnership, IFC will engage with DMEO in activities ranging from technical assistance, capacity building programmes to outreach and communications

Highlights:
The Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog has entered into an institutional partnership with the Institute for Competitiveness (IFC).
The purpose of the partnership is to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation ecosystem in India.
IFC will assist DMEO in activities comprising technical assistance in the field of monitoring and evaluation and collaborate in research and publication in the area of competitiveness, productivity, monitoring and evaluation.
Through this partnership, the organizations will also conduct capacity building programmes.

The Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog entered an institutional partnership with the Institute for Competitiveness (IFC) to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation ecosystem in India. The aim of this partnership is to establish a framework for cooperative institutional relations, and to encourage and promote cooperation in the field of monitoring and evaluation of government policies and programmes.

In pursuance of the objective, the organizations will undertake activities like organizing events, workshop for young professionals, conferences and roundtables, developing communication material for physical and electronic dissemination through the DMEO website and other platforms, exchanging and disseminating best practices etc., and collaborate in research and publication in the area of competitiveness, productivity, monitoring and evaluation.

As DMEO’s institutional partner, IFC will be extending technical assistance in conducting joint studies of government programmes and assist in other activities comprising technical assistance in the field of monitoring and evaluation, such as identification of best practices, preparation of policy documents, and more. The institute will explore the design and development of unique methodologies such as the “Distance to Frontier approach” to quantify the progress of various public policy programmes.

Under the three-year-partnership, the organizations will conduct capacity building programmes on monitoring and evaluation for public officials at the Centre and States, local researchers and students, regional institutions and other stakeholders. The institute will also assist in developing training modules on monitoring and evaluation, especially on subjects pertaining to assessments, productivity analysis, competitiveness et al.

In the past, IFC has worked with NITI Aayog as its knowledge partner for multiple projects, such as the Innovation Index, Export Preparedness Index, and more. Under these projects, the data-driven approach of evaluating performance indicators provided valuable insights to stakeholders endeavouring to improve developmental outcomes and governance mechanisms. The partnership is expected to further strengthen evidence-based policymaking and governance across government bodies.

The Statement of Intent (SoI) was signed by Dr Sekhar Bonu, Director General, Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) at NITI Aayog and Dr Amit Kapoor, Chair, Institute for Competitiveness.

Dr Sekhar Bonu said, “It is an opportunity to increase engagement with states and share the learnings derived through various initiative with sub-national governments and ministries to improve governance and policymaking.”

Dr Amit Kapoor said, “We are looking forward to work together for developing a credible knowledge base on monitoring and evaluation, creating a network of experts, designing training modules and undertaking a range of activities as part of efforts to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation ecosystem of our country.”