The Niti Aayog has initiated revamping of the various Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSSs) under law & order and justice delivery to assess each scheme’s relevance, effectiveness and sustainability. The Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) of Niti Aayog has invited proposal to engage a consultancy firm to support the evaluation of CSSs. Interested applicants could submit their request for proposal (RFP) before October 17.
The CSSs to be covered include schemes dealing with Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Minorities and Other vulnerable groups. These are: Post Matric Scholarship for SCs; Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM AJAY); PM Young Achievers Scholarship Award Scheme for Vibrant India (PM YASASVI) for OBCs, EBCs and DNTs; Pre Matric Scholarship for SCs and Others; Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY) (Support from Senior Citizens Welfare Fund (SCWF)); Strengthening of Machinery for Enforcement of Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1995 and Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989; National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR); Programme for Development of Scheduled Tribes (PM Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojna); Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakaram; and Education Scheme for Madrasas and Minorities. Other schemes include Modernization of Police Forces, National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP), Scheme for Safety of Women (Safe City Project), Safe Tourist Destination for Women, Infrastructure Facilities for Judiciary and Fast-track Special Courts.
The terms of reference mandated that the consultant would recommend on the synthesis of sectoral and scheme- level analysis, on the need to continue the schemes in their existing form, modify, scale up, scale-down or close down the schemes.
The consultant would also suggest revisions in the scheme/schemes design for the effective implementation in future, if modification is recommended.
Key Considerations for evaluation includes the analysis of schemes for development of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, minorities and other vulnerable groups based on triangulation of primary and secondary data, as outlined in the methodology. It will include an assessment of the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, equity, sustainability, and impact of the CSS schemes.
Recommendations that lead to an increased financial burden on the government (such as those on increasing budgetary allocation) should be avoided, unless there is sound evidence emerging from the analysis that an increase may be expedient. Focus should be on resource optimization/judicious usage of resources, according to the DMEO.