{"id":25,"date":"2026-10-01T13:34:21","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T08:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.desi-india.org\/gallery\/key-government-bodies\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T13:34:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T08:04:21","slug":"key-government-bodies","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.desi-india.org\/?page_id=25","title":{"rendered":"Key Government Bodies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Government Bodies and Platforms in Monitoring and Evaluation Initiatives (India)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Evaluation studies are systematic assessments of public schemes, policies and expenditures to measure their impact, efficiency and outcomes. They are primarily commissioned by government ministries and executed by empanelled research institutions, universities and apex monitoring bodies to drive evidence-based policy making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Evaluation studies typically focus on several key metrics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li><strong>Outcome Budgeting:<\/strong> assessing whether the financial outlays for a project produced the intended developmental outcomes.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Socio-Economic Impact Analysis:<\/strong> measuring ground-level changes (e.g. employment, health, educational standards) brought about by targeted welfare schemes.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Structural Efficiency:<\/strong> identifying implementation bottlenecks and policy gaps to allow for strategic recalibration and course corrections.<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you are looking to access recently completed reports or guidance on commissioning a study, the following official bodies provide the necessary frameworks and data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Functioning as an attached office under NITI Aayog, DMEO conducts independent evaluations of both Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored Schemes across India and provides public access to comprehensive, thematic performance reports. Established in 2015 as India\u2019s apex agency for monitoring and evaluating government policies and programmes, its primary objective is to support evidence-based, citizen-centric and outcome-driven policymaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Background<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li>DMEO was established on <strong>18 September 2015<\/strong> by merging the <strong>Programme Evaluation Organisation (PEO)<\/strong> and the <strong>Independent Evaluation Office (IEO)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>It operates with functional autonomy, separate budgetary allocations and dedicated manpower.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>The PEO, established in <strong>1952<\/strong>, evaluated community development and area development programmes under the erstwhile Planning Commission, with 15 field units nationwide.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>The IEO, established in <strong>2010<\/strong>, was created to provide greater independence to programme evaluation and was headed by a Director General with the rank of a Union Minister of State.<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key functions of DMEO<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li>Monitoring the progress and effectiveness of long-term government policies and programmes.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Recommending improvements and mid-course corrections to enhance implementation.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Evaluating programmes to identify resource needs and improve delivery outcomes.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Providing technical advisory support to States, promoting cooperative and competitive federalism.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Serving as a national platform to strengthen monitoring and evaluation (M&amp;E) practices across the country.<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, DMEO plays a central role in improving the effectiveness, accountability and impact of government programmes through systematic monitoring and evaluation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Ministry commissions and releases outcome-based evaluation studies on welfare initiatives such as Post-Matric Scholarships and old age homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1985\u201386 the erstwhile Ministry of Welfare was bifurcated into the Department of Women and Child Development and the Department of Welfare. The Scheduled Castes Development Division, Tribal Development Division and the Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Division were moved from the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Wakf Division from the Ministry of Law, to form the then Ministry of Welfare. The Ministry was renamed the Ministry of Social Justice &amp; Empowerment in May 1998. In October 1999 the Tribal Development Division moved out to form the Ministry of Tribal Affairs; in January 2007 the Minorities Division along with the Wakf Unit formed a separate Ministry, and the Child Development Division moved to the Ministry of Women &amp; Child Development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Department of Social Justice &amp; Empowerment is entrusted with the empowerment of the disadvantaged and marginalised sections of society. Its target groups are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"desi-chips wp-block-list\">\n\n<li>Scheduled Castes<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Other Backward Classes<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Senior Citizens<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Victims of Substance Abuse<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Beggars<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Transgender persons<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Manual Scavengers<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Sewer &amp; Septic Tank workers<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Waste Pickers<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Ministry has been implementing various programmes and schemes for the social, educational and economic development of these groups, resulting in considerable improvement in their welfare. Due to the discontinuance of caste census after 1931, disaggregated demographic data for OBCs is not available; the Mandal Commission had estimated the OBC population at 52% of the total. Similarly, authentic data for victims of substance abuse is not available, though at least 1% of the population is understood to be affected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Ministry of Minority Affairs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Ministry supports baseline surveys and operation research to gauge development deficits and monitor minority-centric initiatives. Under the Central Sector Scheme \u201cScheme of Research\/Studies, Monitoring and Evaluation of Development Schemes including Publicity\u201d, the Ministry provides professional charges to research organisations \u2014 institutions, councils, civil society bodies, universities (including deemed universities), autonomous bodies, market research agencies and registered bodies of professionals \u2014 that have the expertise and are willing to undertake purposeful operation, market or action research:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li>on the problems and requirements of minorities, including baseline surveys;<\/li>\n\n\n<li>carrying out concurrent monitoring of the implementation of schemes undertaken for minorities; and<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities through multi-media campaigns carried out by Government agencies, reputed private media agencies and a Media Management Agency.<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Such reports are expected to provide information and data on development deficits, successful schemes, and strategies and approaches worth replicating, and to suggest specific programme interventions and policy options. Concurrent monitoring enables mid-course corrections for effective implementation. Financial support may also be extended for workshops, seminars and conferences whose theme has direct relevance to the mandate of the Ministry (but not for formulating research proposals or holding group discussions).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Ministry of Panchayati Raj<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Ministry tasks research organisations with concurrent assessments to analyse policy thrusts on localised, grassroots governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Background &amp; Scheme Guidelines \u2014 the \u201cAction Research\u201d component<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li>The <strong>Action Research (AR)<\/strong> component, originally introduced under the Action Research &amp; Publicity (AR&amp;P) Scheme and now subsumed under the <strong>Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA)<\/strong>, promotes action research and research studies to strengthen policy formulation and improve implementation of initiatives in the Panchayati Raj sector \u2014 covering the structure and functioning of Panchayats, Gram Sabhas, Panchayat finances, devolution of powers and responsibilities, and other issues affecting Panchayats.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>The component provides financial assistance to academic institutions, NGOs, research organisations, registered societies, non-profit organisations and State Institutes of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (SIRD&amp;PRs) with demonstrated expertise in research and evaluation related to Panchayati Raj. Assistance is available only to organisations with a minimum of three years\u2019 experience in social research, action research or related fields. All proposals are examined by the <strong>Research Advisory Committee (RAC)<\/strong>, chaired by the Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India.<\/li>\n\n<\/ol>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Government Bodies and Platforms in Monitoring and Evaluation Initiatives (India) Evaluation studies are systematic assessments of public schemes, policies and expenditures to measure their impact, efficiency and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.desi-india.org\/?page_id=25\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Key Government Bodies&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12,"parent":23,"menu_order":11,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_desi_meta_description":"Key Government bodies and platforms for monitoring and evaluation in India: DMEO (NITI Aayog), Ministries of Social Justice, Minority Affairs and Panchayati Raj.","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-25","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.desi-india.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.desi-india.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.desi-india.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.desi-india.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.desi-india.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.desi-india.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.desi-india.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.desi-india.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.desi-india.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}