TN Reconstitutes Panel To Strengthen Anti-Poverty Programmes

Chennai:OMIT-affiliated J-PAL South Asia will support Tamil Nadu’s anti-poverty initiatives, as the state government reconstituted Steering Committee to strengthen evidence-based policymaking and evaluate programmes.

The Tamil Nadu government has reconstituted the Steering Committee overseeing its collaboration with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), South Asia, associated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, to strengthen evidence-based policymaking and improve the effectiveness of anti-poverty programmes.

The reconstituted committee will be responsible for approving new pilot programmes and evaluations undertaken under the partnership. The Chief Secretary will head the committee as chairman, while the senior officials of the Planning and Development Department and the Finance Department will serve as members. Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and Secretaries of the concerned departments will also be part of the panel.

According to the government order, the committee will meet at least once a year and more frequently whenever necessary.

It may be noted that Tamil Nadu government signed an MoU with J-PAL South Asia in 2014, during the tenure of former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, to institutionalise evidence-based policymaking, particularly in the implementation of anti-poverty initiatives.

Under the original arrangement, a Steering Committee was constituted to approve pilot programmes and evaluations, while an Advisory Committee provided oversight and feedback on studies conducted under the collaboration.

The Advisory Committee was reconstituted in 2023. In Feb. 2025, the government decided to dispense with the Advisory Committee and reconstitute the Steering Committee. The latest order implements that decision, consolidating oversight of the partnership under the reconstituted panel.