The Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS) was founded with a bold vision: to improve millions of lives by helping state governments deliver better outcomes. Recognising that India’s governance challenge lies in execution rather than ideas, CEGIS focuses on strengthening the capacity of states across four foundational pillars. These include: measuring outcomes with high-quality data; deploying efficient personnel systems based on skills and performance; aligning public finance for strategic impact; and building systems that enable constructive engagement with markets and civil society.
This approach stems from the extensive research of co-founder Prof. Karthik Muralidharan, one of India’s leading development economists, and the strategic philanthropic leadership of co-founder Ashish Dhawan. Together, they established CEGIS as a non-profit think-and-do tank — one that combines evidence with implementation to drive transformative reforms.
Meet the team
CEGIS, on LinkedIn
Vijay Pingale, CEO
Apoorva Kavin, Chief of Staff (Strategy)
Parul Agarwal, Assistant Vice President
Since its incorporation in 2019, CEGIS has grown rapidly. From two early state partnerships, it now collaborates with governments of Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, NCT of Delhi, Assam, and national bodies like NITI Aayog and the Capacity Building Commission. Its flagship KPI Survey has enabled governments to gather citizen-level feedback, introducing a systematic process of measuring outcomes for more effective policy decisions. In parallel, CEGIS supports finance departments through Financial Analytics Units, and human resources departments through the institutionalisation of competency-based performance and learning systems.
The journey of CEGIS has also been supported by leading philanthropic partners, including The Convergence Foundation, Veddis Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, and others. Today, with a team of more than 150 members across the country, CEGIS has emerged as a trusted partner for governments seeking to combine data-driven decision-making with practical, context-sensitive reforms.
As CEGIS enters its next phase, it remains committed to its learn–build–transfer model: co-creating solutions with states, demonstrating their impact, institutionalising them, and ensuring transferability across contexts. By combining academic rigour with the realities of public administration, CEGIS is enabling governments to spend more effectively, manage personnel better, engage citizens meaningfully, and deliver real improvements in education, health, nutrition, and beyond. At its heart, CEGIS is about building state capacity — unlocking the potential of governance to shape India’s development story.
