India, Britain to work together to strengthen impact evaluation in India

New Delhi, Nov 19 : United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID) and India's Planning Commission have decided to work together to strengthen impact evaluations in India.

Douglas Alexander, UK's Secretary of State for International Development met Deputy Chairman for Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia here to address the need to improve methods for assessing the polices and programs being implemented in the interest of the poor.

A joint press statement released after the meeting quoted Ahluwalia saying that the Indian Planning Commission will take steps to ensure that the tax payer's money is being put to right use.

The statement said that Ahluwalia assured Alexander that a network of professionals would be put in place to improve the quality of impact evaluation in India.

Alexander said that DFID is stepping up its efforts to deliver results for the poor people. Also, that it will support the Indian Planning Commission in its broader work on impact evaluation, he added.

"The collaboration between the two organizations would pave the way for better designed policies that would deliver better results in India and world wide," he added..

In Patna, on Tuesday, Alexander announced that Britain would provide around 825 million pounds over a period of three years as aid to India in an attempt to reach out to a large number of poor people.

The British government has ordered Council for Disabled Children (CDC) Group, its agency for investment in private businesses in developing countries, to increase its investments in the world's poorest nations. According to reports for the 2009-2013 period CDC will make over75 percent of its new investment in countries with an annual gross per capita national income (GNI) of less than 905 dollars.

ANI