Independent Evaluation Office (IEO)
Independent Evaluation Office (IEO)has been set up to assess independently the impact of Government’s Flagship Programmes.
The Hon'ble President Of India, Shrimati Pratibha Devi singh Patil, in her address to the joint session of the parliament in June 2009 announced setting up of an Independent Evaluation Office(IEO) at an arm's distance from the government with the objective of strengthening public accountability of flagship programmes. The Union Cabinet in November 2010 approved the establishment of the same. IEO was finally launched in February 2014.
The IEO is catalysed by the Planning Commission. It is felt that the government programmes can benefit enormously from concurrent independent evaluation. At present concurrent evaluation is done by the Ministry concerned as an on-going parallel process. Expert evaluation of programmes that have been in operation is done by the Programme Evaluation Organisation (PEO) of the Planning Commission. (The reports of PEO may be seen here.)The IEO is expected to strengthen this evaluation process. The reports of IEO would be in the public domain.
The new IEO would be an important instrument in evaluating some of the important programmes which account for huge plan resources and would come up with recommendations highlighting the need for reforms of programmes for better implementation and outcome. It would work on a network model by collaborating with leading social science research organizations.
IEO would be headed by a Director General who is in the rank of Minister of State. The first Director General is Dr. Ajay Chibber.
IEO in India is conceived on the lines of Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of IMF.