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2.5. Policy Monitoring and Evaluation

A surge in public expenditure driven by economic growth has resulted in a growing demand for monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and performance management from government, program implementers, international donor organizations, and civil society at large.

In the light of these imperatives, the Indian government has taken initiatives to improve the monitoring and evaluation environment. Few of them include

o Performance Management and Evaluation System created by Cabinet Secretariat

o National Productivity Council under Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion,

Ministry of Commerce and Industry

o Ministry of Finance has instituted outcome budgeting.

o Management Information System (MIS)

o Programme Evaluation Organization (under erstwhile Planning Commission)

o Niti Aayog

In addition to these institutions, civil society and media has also played crucial role in evaluating governmental policies.

In addition to the media and civil society, two more institutions, which are part of India’s constitutional governance system, are playing a key role in demand for accountability. One is the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and the other is the Supreme Court.

The CAG has been in the limelight for its reports exposing big corruption scandals – relating to the 2G spectrum allocation to companies, the Commonwealth Games scams, and the coal-mining allocations to private companies

Similarly, the Supreme Court of India has been accepting many Public Interest Litigation petitions from civil society and monitoring executive actions.