Bangalore, Sept 11:The impact of five flagship programmes of the Centre will be evaluated independently by private consultants across all 176 taluks in the State, providing grassroots-level feedback to the implementing departments on the outcome of the schemes.
The programmes shortlisted by the Karnataka Evaluation Authority (KEA) for the two-year assessment span across various departments and include Integrated Child Development Services Programme (ICDS), National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and National Rural Drinking Water Programme.
KEA will take up the process of appointing consultants for the evaluation process in a month’s time. KEA, an autonomous body, was set up by the previous government to coordinate with qualified external agencies and subject experts for an impartial evaluation of Government policies and programmes in a bid to improve the efficiency of public programmes.
Must set up office
“The consultants must set up office in each of the four divisional divisions and cover eight taluks every quarter per division. They have to provide quarterly reports, after conducting field visits, on the outcome of the programmes over the last two years. They will then recommend course correction if any and also draw an action plan for the future,” KEA Chief Evaluation Officer K N Murthy told Deccan Herald. The reports will provide grassroot-level assessment on the impact level of the programmes, whether the target group are actually getting the benefits and whether the goals of the programmes are being achieved. With around 30 taluks being taken up per programme every quarter, all the 176 taluks in the State will be covered within two years, Murthy pointed out.
He said the government is keen that all the major programmes be taken up for such evaluation. The State government’s flagship “Annabhagya” scheme of providing Rs 30 kg rice per month for BPL families will also be taken up for evaluation after a few months, he added.
To be assessed
* ICDS: Integrated services to ensure proper growth and development of pre-school children in rural areas
* NRHM: Programme for improving health care delivery across rural India
* National Rural Drinking Water Programme: Safe drinking water at all times in rural areas
* MGNREGA: Scheme provides a guarantee for at least 100 days of paid employment every financial year
* PMGSY: Good all-weather road connectivity to unconnected villages
