Bhubaneswar: To enhance the quality of governance, the Odisha Government today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS) Foundation.

Under the non-financial MoU, which comes with a five-year commitment, CEGIS will assist the State in achieving data-driven governance backed by analytical evidence. The collaboration will focus on institutionalising capacity building across government departments.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo. Speaking on the occasion, 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.

Over the next five years, CEGIS will provide technical and analytical support across departments to aid policy decisions, optimise expenditure, and improve public service delivery in key sectors.

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; Prof. Kartik Muralidharan, Co-Founder and Scientific Director of CEGIS Foundation; and other senior government officials.