PM seeks evaluation of govt schemes
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked the Planning Commission and other government departments to set up a system for independent evaluation of its flagship programmes.
By ET Bureau |
NEW DELHI: With the government pumping in huge amount of funds to boost education, health and rural employment, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked the Planning Commission and other government departments to set up a system for independent evaluation of its flagship programmes covering the social sectors. He called upon the commission, the finance ministry and the department of statistics to collectively work out details for setting up an office for the purpose.
Dr Singh also said the government was looking at making all non-strategic information public. ���A proactive policy of disclosure will be in keeping with the spirit of the Right to Information Act. Information collected at huge cost, with the tax payers��� money, should be made available to the general public without their having to ask for it,��� he said here on Tuesday, after inaugurating the national conference of state ministers in charge of statistics.
He said the government should be at arm���s length from the process of independent evaluation of flagship social sector programmes. ���At present, the evaluation function is done by several wings of the government and cannot be called independent,��� he added.
National Statistical Commission chairman Suresh Tendulkar pointed out that data collection had deteriorated and was on the verge of collapsing. ���The virtual neglect and the low priority accorded to recording, storage, retrieval and processing of the flow of data from periodic statutory or other returns have resulted in official data becoming suspect in terms of reliability and completeness,��� he said.
The conference felt that due to massive upsurge in entrepreneurial activity over the past one-and-a-half decades, need for evolving alternate methods for generating industrial data has gone up. The conference looked at various methods of improving credibility of official statistics and institutional strengthening of state statistical system.
Dr Singh also said the government was looking at making all non-strategic information public. ���A proactive policy of disclosure will be in keeping with the spirit of the Right to Information Act. Information collected at huge cost, with the tax payers��� money, should be made available to the general public without their having to ask for it,��� he said here on Tuesday, after inaugurating the national conference of state ministers in charge of statistics.
He said the government should be at arm���s length from the process of independent evaluation of flagship social sector programmes. ���At present, the evaluation function is done by several wings of the government and cannot be called independent,��� he added.
National Statistical Commission chairman Suresh Tendulkar pointed out that data collection had deteriorated and was on the verge of collapsing. ���The virtual neglect and the low priority accorded to recording, storage, retrieval and processing of the flow of data from periodic statutory or other returns have resulted in official data becoming suspect in terms of reliability and completeness,��� he said.
The conference felt that due to massive upsurge in entrepreneurial activity over the past one-and-a-half decades, need for evolving alternate methods for generating industrial data has gone up. The conference looked at various methods of improving credibility of official statistics and institutional strengthening of state statistical system.
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