Building Evaluation Capacities of the Development Monitoring Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog

Building Evaluation Capacities of the Development Monitoring Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog

The mandate for “Building Evaluation Capacities of the Development Monitoring Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog” with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) is to enhance evaluation, measurement, and analytical skills within NITI Aayog, Central and State Ministries, and other research and policy partners. The project focuses on capacitating the wider evaluation ecosystem in India by engaging the Indian community of evaluation practitioners, leaders, and thematic specialists.

Sambodhi undertook the following activities in this project:

• Concept Notes &/or Presentations – On Societal Platforms, Accreditation and Credentialing in India, the DMEO Competency Framework 
• Landscape Study – Submitted to the DMEO through BMGF 
• Included an adaption of the Evaluation Capacity Assessment Instrument (ECAI) based on the Synthesis Model for Evaluation Capacity
• Included an Initial Rolodex of key Higher Educational Institutions, Research Enterprises or Organizations, and Thematic Specialists
• Evaluation Observatory – A societal platform that enabled communities of practice, and knowledge/resource exchange, by aggregating thought leadership, facilitating learning communities, and building a repository of resources and opportunities

The Evaluation Observatory had three components including –

• The Learning Lab, which included webinars, masterclasses, boot camps, and clinics, 
• Community which included community groups (moderated), message board (conferences, job postings, calls for papers, etc.); and social outreach
  (blog/vlog/shorts), and
• Knowledge Bank which included issues and trends (research and publications), guidelines and toolkits, and visual aids (infographics, explainers, etc.)