About

In the realm of development initiatives, the Poverty and Human Development Monitoring Agency (PHDMA) emerged on the 16th of June, 2005, as part of the "Fiscal and Administrative Reform Programme” of Government of Odisha. Tasked with monitoring and fortifying human development and poverty indicators in Odisha, it functions autonomously under the aegis of the Planning & Convergence Department, and is registered under the Societies Registration Act, of 1860 subject to the overall direction and control of the State Government.

PHDMA been constituted by Government of Odisha in P & C Department, vide their Resolution No. 9038-PTF-I-21/2002-P, with the provision of the parent department extending necessary logistic and budgetary support to the Agency. The agency’s operation has been the whole of Odisha.It may, however, also participate in research and consultancy activities even outside Odisha.

Since its inception in 2005, it had been working around the close lines of quantitative analysis through secondary data sets. However, from the year 2020, it shifted its approach towards qualitative analysis, impact evaluation and monitoring through first-hand data sets and frequent field visits across the state. From numeric evaluations, the focus has now shifted to both quantitative and qualitative monitoring and evaluation keeping pace with new-age global practices in M&E.