Summary of FY2017 MOFA’s ODA Evaluation
Country Assistance Evaluation of India (Brief Summary)
Full text available here.
https://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/oda/evaluation/FY2017/pdfs/india.pdf 
| Evaluators (Evaluation Team) |
Chief Evaluator | Kaoru Hayashi Professor, Bunkyo University |
| Advisor | Rie Makita Professor, Gakushuin University |
|
| Consultant | Foundation for Advanced Studies on International Development | |
| Period of the Evaluation Study | June 2017–February 2018 | |
| Field Survey Country | India | |
Background, Objectives and Scope of the Evaluation
Japan is assisting India in the three priority areas, (1) “enhancing connectivity,” (2) “strengthening industrial competitiveness” and (3) “supporting sustainable and inclusive growth,” defined in the Country Assistance Policy (currently Country Development Cooperation Policy) for India. As Japan assists India in a wide range of areas, the Evaluation Team evaluated the performance of Japan’s assistance in Priority Area 3 based on the results of the field study in order to prepare valuable recommendations for future assistance.
Brief Summary of the Evaluation Results
1 Development Viewpoints
(1) Relevance of Policies (Rating: B)
Japan’s Country Assistance Policy for India is highly consistent with the development policies of India and it conforms to the development needs of India, including poverty reduction and the improvement of basic social services. The Evaluation Team has found that the country assistance policy is highly consistent with the high-level cooperation policies of Japan and international priority development issues. Meanwhile, the team recommends that a roadmap to solve development issues in each program in Priority Area 3 be developed and specified for the achievement of the goals.
(2) Effectiveness of Results (Rating: B)
The Evaluation Team has confirmed the results of assistance in all programs of Japan for agricultural and rural development, improvement of basic social services, forest resource management, development of water supply and sewerage system/ improvement of hygiene/pollution control and disaster management. In the forest resource management sector, afforestation conducted with Japan’s assistance in the period covered by this evaluation accounts for 27% of the afforestation planned by the Government of India. A total of 15.07 and 10.57 million people have benefited from the waterworks and sewerage development projects, respectively, and these projects have brought various positive results including the decrease in the cases of waterborne disease.
(3) Appropriateness of Processes (Rating: B)
The Evaluation Team has confirmed that the Government of Japan had maintained close communication with the Government of India and the relevant Japanese organizations for the preparation of the Country Assistance Policy for India and, as a result, India’s development needs are reflected in the policy. The team has also confirmed that Japan’s assistance to India has been implemented efficiently and effectively with integrated use of different characteristics of various assistance schemes.
2 Diplomatic Viewpoints
Both India and Japan appreciate the values of democracy, human rights and market economy and recognize each other’s importance in the national security. The relationship between India and Japan has been strengthening through frequent summit diplomacy of the two countries in recent years and the Government of Japan has upgraded the relationship to a “Special Strategic and Global Partnership.”
In an opinion poll conducted in India, Japan was selected as “the most important partner of India at present” and “the most important partner of India in the future.” Japan’s assistance in the area of “supporting sustainable and inclusive growth” has high diplomatic importance from the viewpoints of realizing the philosophy of Japan’s development cooperation, political, economic, security and social relationships between India and Japan, and goals of the international community. The increases in investment from Japan to India and the number of Japanese companies doing business in India can be considered indirect impacts of ODA.
Recommendations
1 Recommendations Concerning Future Policies and Strategies
(1) Assistance in Agriculture Focused on Increasing Productivity and Value Addition
The current strategy of providing comprehensive assistance in the process from production to processing and distribution of crops shall be strengthened to assist the development of market-oriented agriculture, production of high value-added crops and use of Japanese technologies for efficient use of water resources and land.
(2) Comprehensive Review of the Results of the Assistance and Specification of the Future Strategy in the Forest Resource Management Sector
The results of the assistance provided so far shall be reviewed. Venues to share the results with a wide variety of stakeholders shall be created to disseminate the results to them. In addition, medium-to-long-term goals of the forest resource management program led by Japan shall be specified.
(3) Study on Implementation of Environmental and Disaster Management Education
A study shall be conducted on the feasibility of implementing environmental and disaster management education as a multi-program project in which educational activities to advise people of the water storage function of forests are integrated.
(4) Strengthening Cooperation in Air Pollution Control
A study shall be conducted on strengthening the cooperation in air pollution control in cities including Delhi.
(5) Review of All Programs in Priority Area 3
For the effective and efficient achievement of the goals in Priority Area 3, the assistance policy for and distribution of assistance to each program shall be reviewed with its strategic priority level for Japan taken into account.
2 Recommendation on Assistance Implementation Process
(1) Innovation of Public Relations Activities
Because results of the assistance in the area of “supporting sustainable and inclusive growth” are less visible than those of large-scale infrastructure development projects, innovative methods of public relations shall be used to disseminate the performance of Japan’s assistance in the area to the public.
(2) Staffing of JICA India Office
Personnel required for promoting the use of local NGOs and social enterprises and public-private partnerships and increasing the number of Japanese companies doing business in India shall be assigned to JICA India Office.
(3) Timely Revision of Country Assistance Policy
“The Country Assistance Policy for India” shall be revised as required before the scheduled time of regular revision because of the importance of India as a development partner of Japan and the high pace of economic development.
(4) Description of Points to Consider in the Infrastructure Development Sector in the Country Assistance Policy
When the “Country Assistance Policy for India” is renewed or revised next time, the possibility that infrastructure development projects can contribute sufficiently to the inclusive and sustainable growth and the need to consider ways to realize shall be added to the policy as points to consider at the time of the formulation of such projects.