Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS)

Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS)

CEGIS Foundation works closely with state governments across India to strengthen governance capacity and enable transformative improvements in public service delivery. Founded by Ashish Dhawan and Prof. Karthik Muralidharan, CEGIS operates on the belief that strengthening state government capacity is the most cost effective way to improve development outcomes at scale. The organization embeds dedicated teams inside state governments, co-located with Finance, Planning, and HR departments, and works across 10 or more Indian states and union territories on evidence based governance reform.

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Head Quaters: New Delhi, India

Major Areas of Work

• Outcome Measurement: Building state government capacity to measure progress against development goals using rigorous, data driven methods.
• Personnel Management: Strengthening how state governments hire, train, and manage personnel through a competency driven approach.
• Strategic Public Finance: Helping governments allocate resources efficiently for evidence based, high return public outcomes.
• State and Markets: Building government capacity to manage market interfaces and enable growth through better regulation and service delivery.

Major Initiatives and Programs

• Dedicated state units embedded within government Finance, Planning, and HR departments across Assam, Bodoland Territorial Region, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh
• A "Think, Demonstrate, Document, Transfer" model that pilots solutions at the state level before scaling and documenting them as playbooks and advisories for wider government use
• A 5-year MoU with the Chief Minister's Office, Government of Maharashtra, to strengthen governance systems and data-driven decision-making
• A 5-year MoU with the Government of Odisha, covering policy implementation and institutional strengthening across key sectors
• A partnership with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) to strengthen the Support for Statistical Strengthening scheme through a joint Programme Management Unit
• A partnership with Digital Bharat Collaborative, part of Piramal Foundation, applying digital technology and data systems to state health and nutrition delivery
• An Economics and Statistics Unit (ESU) supporting rigorous, research backed policy design across engagements

Impact

CEGIS works across more than 10 Indian states and union territories, embedding teams directly inside government departments rather than operating as an external advisory layer. Its engagements span core government functions including education, health, nutrition, personnel systems, and public finance, with formal multi year MoUs signed with state governments in Maharashtra and Odisha, and national level partnerships with MoSPI and the Gates Foundation ecosystem.

Leadership

• Ashish Dhawan, Co-founder (also Founder-CEO of The Convergence Foundation, Founding Chairperson of Ashoka University and Central Square Foundation, and Gates Foundation governing board member)
• Prof. Karthik Muralidharan, Co-founder and Scientific Director (Tata Chancellor's Professor of Economics, University of California, San Diego)
• Shankar Narayanan, President and Chief Operating Officer
• Sriharini Narayanan, Head, Operational Excellence and State Engagements

Partners Government of Maharashtra, Government of Odisha, Government of Chhattisgarh, Government of Assam, Bodoland Territorial Region, Government of NCT of Delhi, Government of Karnataka, Government of Tamil Nadu, Government of Telangana, Government of Uttar Pradesh, MoSPI, Gates Foundation, UNICEF, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, The Convergence Foundation, Artha Global, Digital Bharat Collaborative (Piramal Foundation), IDinsight, Rocket Learning, Janaagraha, Godrej Foundation

CEGIS offers the opportunity to work at the intersection of research and real government implementation, embedded directly inside state departments rather than at arm's length. The organization is founded and scientifically led by prominent economists and philanthropists with deep track records in Indian public policy, and offers multi year, formally signed engagements with state governments, giving staff sustained exposure to governance reform at meaningful scale rather than short term consulting projects.