Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary Meets Nobel Laureate Michael Kremer to Boost Evidence-Based Development

Chief Secretary Shri Anurag Jain hosted a high-level delegation from the University of Chicago’s Development Innovation Lab and the global non-profit Evidence Action to explore experimental approaches in development economics. The delegation was led by Professor Michael Kremer, Nobel Laureate in Economics (2019), and included Shri Ankur Garg, Country Director of Evidence Action, along with their teams.

The meeting, attended by Secretaries from multiple government departments including Agriculture, Finance, Health, Education, Women and Child Development, Panchayati Raj, Public Health Engineering, and Water Resources, focused on strengthening the state's development initiatives through evidence-based interventions in the health, agriculture, education, and water sectors.

Professor Kremer outlined innovative experimental methodologies that bring together researchers, Indian government entities, private firms, and non-profit organizations to identify, test, and refine interventions with the potential to benefit millions. He emphasized the importance of rigorous testing before scaling development programs.

Shri Garg presented Evidence Action's work in India, highlighting how the organization converts proven research into large-scale programs that deliver sustainable impact. He provided an update on the organization's ongoing support to the Government of Madhya Pradesh, particularly in health and water initiatives.

The collaborative discussion aimed to identify opportunities for implementing evidence-based solutions that can enhance the state's development programs.