Three-year pact to strengthen research-driven governance; partnership to support Odisha Vision 2036 and 2047 through policy innovation, rigorous research and capacity-building

 

THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BHUBANESWAR, NOVEMBER 4, 2026

In a major push towards strengthening research-driven governance and ensuring informed policy decisions, the Odisha government on Wednesday signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) South Asia to promote evidence-based policymaking across various state departments.

Anchored in the Planning and Convergence Department, the partnership aims to align policy interventions with the state's ambitious Odisha Vision 2036 and 2047, focusing on rigorous research, technical policy support and institutional capacity-building.

Under the agreement, J-PAL South Asia, hosted at the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) in Chennai, will collaborate with different government departments to identify key policy challenges, generate robust evidence and translate research findings into practical and actionable recommendations.

The MoU was signed by Rashmi Kabi, FA-cum-Additional Secretary in the Planning and Convergence Department, and Shobhini Mukerji, Executive Director of J-PAL South Asia, in the presence of Chief Secretary Anu Garg, Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary Deoranjan Kumar Singh, Acting Associate Director (Policy) of J-PAL South Asia Murali Mallikarjunan and senior officials from various departments.

The collaboration assumes significance as Odisha seeks to transform itself into a prosperous state, or 'Samruddha Odisha', by 2036 and a developed state, or 'Viksit Odisha', by 2047, through innovative governance, data-driven interventions and evidence-backed development strategies.

The partnership builds on J-PAL South Asia's engagement with Odisha since 2006, during which it has worked in areas such as early childhood education, foundational literacy and numeracy, governance, sanitation, agriculture and gender equality.

As part of the collaboration, J-PAL will work closely with state departments to understand their priorities and support the design, implementation and evaluation of interventions suited to Odisha's development needs.

One of the notable initiatives under the partnership is 'Barnali', a gender-equity curriculum currently being taught in around 23,000 government schools. J-PAL South Asia serves as the knowledge and research partner to the School and Mass Education Department and Breakthrough Trust for the initiative.

The partnership will be overseen by a Steering Committee chaired by the Chief Secretary and comprising senior government officials and representatives of J-PAL South Asia. The committee will meet every six months to examine and review project proposals, while designated nodal officers from both sides will coordinate implementation. Specific projects, their scope and deliverables will be finalised in consultation with the concerned departments.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Secretary Garg said Odisha had set itself the ambitious goal of achieving Viksit Odisha as part of the broader vision of Viksit Bharat.

"Our Vision commits us to engaging research institutions in policy research and piloting innovations, as well as adopting data- and AI-based interventions in line with global best practices," she said.

Outlining the role of J-PAL South Asia, the Chief Secretary said the organisation would help bring relevant global evidence to bear on the state's priorities, adapt promising approaches to local requirements and support the design and testing of evidence- and data-based solutions before their wider implementation.

She expressed confidence that the collaboration would strengthen the state's ability to develop effective interventions and scale up successful models across departments.

Mukerji said Odisha had long been at the forefront of generating and using evidence to inform public policy.

"With this partnership, we look forward to continuing our work with the Government of Odisha on its policy priorities: bringing global evidence, adapting it to local needs, co-developing programmes, and testing and scaling what works," she said.

She also highlighted the state's strong foundation in monitoring and evaluation, saying the collaboration would build on existing institutional capacities to improve policy outcomes.

J-PAL is an international research network known for applying rigorous scientific methods, particularly randomised evaluations, to identify effective solutions to critical policy challenges, especially in the fight against poverty.