Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS) Foundation with an aim to improve the quality of governance.
Under the non-financial MoU, CEGIS will assist the state in achieving data-driven governance backed by analytical evidence. The collaboration for five years will focus on institutionalising capacity building across government departments.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo. Singh Deo described the partnership as the beginning of a transformative journey for the State—one that places data, evidence, and outcomes at the core of public service delivery.
“Our solutions must become smarter, targeted, and more responsive. The partnership with CEGIS is an important enabler in this regard. Their approach, research, and field experience complement Odisha’s vision for 2036 and 2047 in strengthening our institutions and systems,” he said.
CEGIS will provide technical and analytical support across departments to aid policy decisions, optimise expenditure, and improve public service delivery in key sectors over the next five years.
The MoU was signed by Vineet Bharadwaj, Executive Director of the Centre for Modernising Government Initiative (CMGI) of the State Government, and Vijay Pinage, CEO of CEGIS Foundation.
Present at the event were Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja; Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary Anu Garg; Pro. Kartik Muralidharan, Co-Founder and Scientific Director of CEGIS Foundation; and other senior officials.
