GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
Inaugural Ceremony:
Opening Remarks by Ms. Sonia Pant, DDG, DMEO, NITI Aayog
Ms. Sonia Pant welcomed distinguished panelists and participants to the NCMEL 2024, themed "Measuring Impact to Shape Policies." She emphasized the conference's focus on effective governance, sustainable development, and fostering solution-oriented dialogues among stakeholders. The ceremonial lamp lighting symbolized the journey towards progress and accountability.
Welcome Address by Sh. Sanjay Kumar, DG, DMEO-NITI Aayog
Sh. Sanjay Kumar highlighted the conference's role in exchanging insights on monitoring and evaluation. He outlined DMEO's vision to institutionalize M&E across government policies, citing initiatives like OOMF, DGQI, and third-party evaluations. He emphasized the importance of collaboration with universities and state governments for socio-economic development.
Keynote Address by Sh. B. V. R. Subrahmanyam, CEO, NITI Aayog
Sh. B. V. R. Subrahmanyam discussed the role of M&E in equitable development. He highlighted challenges such as limited stakeholder participation and data quality issues, proposing strategies to enhance M&E capacities and governance. DMEO's initiatives were emphasized as steps towards a robust M&E ecosystem.
Special Address by Dr. T. V. Somanathan, Secretary, MoF
Dr. T. V. Somanathan stressed the importance of evaluations in shaping public policy. He noted the diminished impact of evaluations on decision-making and called for pragmatic reforms in evaluation entities, balancing their autonomy with effective reporting.
Keynote by Sh. Suman Bery, VC, NITI Aayog (Chief Guest)
Sh. Suman Bery emphasized M&E's role in national development, promoting accountability and evidence-based decision-making. He acknowledged challenges like capacity constraints and data quality, proposing capacity-building and improved data governance. He highlighted DMEO's efforts to strengthen the M&E ecosystem and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
Summary:
The inaugural session emphasized collaborative initiatives between DMEO, third-party evaluations, and stakeholder engagement as critical for strengthening India's M&E ecosystem, ensuring equitable development outcomes and evidence-based decision-making. It underscored the importance of fostering a learning culture in M&E, shifting from fault-finding to continuous improvement and course correction, supported by strategic partnerships and capacity-building initiatives. Stakeholders, including policymakers, practitioners, experts, and partners, were urged to collectively drive sustainable development through robust M&E practices, promoting accountability and fostering evidence-based decision-making. Challenges such as limited stakeholder participation, evaluation demand, and data quality were acknowledged, with proposed solutions including changing evaluation mindsets, enhancing M&E capacities, improving data governance, and fostering strong partnerships to overcome these challenges.