NITI Aayog to evaluate MGNREGA Scheme to Assess its Impact

The government is set to initiate an evaluation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) to assess its on-ground impact. The Development, Monitoring, and Evaluation Office (DMEO), under NITI Aayog, has issued a call for bids to evaluate the scheme, which was launched in 2005. The contract for this evaluation is expected to be awarded by December 10, 2024.

The consultant for the project will be selected through a two-stage process involving separate submissions of technical and financial bids. The evaluation study is scheduled to last six months from the date the contract is signed.

“The consultant will conduct an in-depth analysis of secondary data and existing literature, along with a field survey of at least 20,065 households across 14 states, using computer-assisted personal interviews (CAPI),” according to the DMEO. The study will also include qualitative interviews.

The household survey will cover data from the past five financial years (FY 2019-20 to FY 2023-24). In the first stage, applicants will undergo a technical evaluation, after which shortlisted candidates will proceed to a financial evaluation. Final rankings will be determined based on a combination of both evaluations.

"The top-ranked applicant will be invited for negotiations," DMEO mentioned in its request for proposal (RfP), which seeks bids from both national and international entities qualified to conduct such evaluations.

According to the RfP, the consultant will assemble a multidisciplinary team for the assignment. This team will include a team leader, specialists in monitoring and evaluation, rural development, labor, infrastructure, statistics, data management, and analytics, as well as a content writer. All key personnel, except the content editor, will be engaged for the entire duration of the evaluation study.