J-PAL South Asia launches partnership with Government of Punjab, India
In April 2017, the State Government of Punjab, India represented by its Chief Secretary, Mr. Karan Avtar Singh, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with J-PAL South Asia at IFMR, represented by its Executive Director, Ms Shobhini Mukerji. The partnership aims to support the Punjab Government in taking an evidence-informed approach to its poverty alleviation efforts.
The MoU signing meeting was chaired by Punjab’s Finance Minister, Mr. Manpreet Singh Badal and attendees included Dr Abhijit Banerjee, co-founder and Director, J-PAL and professor of economics at MIT (USA), Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister of Punjab, and heads of key Departments of the State including Agriculture, School Education, Housing & Urban Development, Planning, Health and Family Welfare, Power, Food and Civil Supplies, Local Government, and Finance.
The state of Punjab, with a population of 27 million, is interested in strengthening policies and interventions for economic growth, with a focus on poverty reduction, youth employment, and rural development. J-PAL South Asia will assist the government in developing programs and rigorous impact evaluations in key sectors, including health, power, education, labor and employment, local governance and planning, and rural development. The aim of the partnership is to institutionalize evidence-informed policymaking in the state, with the goal of scaling up the programs and policies that are found to be most effective.
This MOU builds on J-PAL South Asia’s experience establishing productive partnerships with state governments in India, including in Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, and Andhra Pradesh.