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Copenhagen Consensus Center

Rajasthan Priorities Presents Research Findings to CM

Jaipur, Rajasthan: Rajasthan Priorities, a collaboration between Tata Trusts and Copenhagen Consensus, today presented a volume of new research findings to Chief Minister Hon. Vasundhara Raje, providing cost-benefit analysis across a broad range of central issues to Rajasthan. 

Dr Bjorn Lomborg, president, Copenhagen Consensus Center, presented the Chief Minister with research papers commissioned from Indian and international specialist economists, to analyse the costs and benefits of more than 80 specific proposals.

CM Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje found the CBA approach

very interesting, an innovative methodology to spend relatively small amounts to create the most social and economic impact. She advised Rajasthan priorities team to connect with the Principal Secretary, Mr Akhil Arora to take 4-5 pilots with some of the recommended interventions. She further added if successful, more systematically state can use benefit-to-cost comparison in all other sectors. 

Dr Jyoti Kiran, Chairperson, State Finance Commission, welcomed the research.

The Rajasthan Priorities approach of benefit-cost analysis provides very helpful insights. Jyoti Kiran demonstrated with data how the chief ministers vision matches some of the identified priorities in certain areas.She further added, Rajasthan has already made significant progress through innovative interventions. Many of the research findings align with the state’s priorities. Strong examples of this are education, poverty graduation programs, rural sanitation, water supply and irrigation, in which the state government has made swift and strong progress and are all identified as important solutions by this new process.”

Dr Bibek Debroy, Rajasthan Priorities Eminent Panel member and Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) and Member of the NITI Aayog, stated that, with fine-tuning, the research could be of assistance.

The Rajasthan Consensus Project did an excellent job of bringing together various ideas focused on improving the socio-economic status of the State of Rajasthan on one platform, using a well-thought out methodology.”, he said.

Chief Secretary, Hon. D. B. Gupta, said:

This project provides a useful methodology that the state welcomes. The state’s ministries will look carefully at the research to ensure that it uses the latest data, and is finely tuned, ensuring that it will be of maximum use for Rajasthan.”

Profesor Alok Ray said:

Despite question marks over the exact BCRs and implementation/jurisdiction issues for some interventions, there was a broad general consensus about the top and the lowest priorities. The basic guiding principle was that one should try to measure the right things, even if imperfectly, than the wrong things perfectly. Coming to our top collective consensus priorities, it is nice to see that these fell primarily in three broad areas – health, education and agriculture – all currently areas of major concern in India."

Professor Amitab Mattoo said:

After rigorous and a robust academic debate, four eminent panel members including myself, prioritised the development interventions and policies that would best serve the state of Rajasthan."

Dr. Rathin Roy said:

I am very pleased with the final rankings which were prepared by my colleagues on the panel of eminent economists are largely in confirmative with my initial ranking. Our exchange of views on the panel was productive and, following discussions, I was convinced that the interventions, on land records, micronutrients and Cardio Vascular Diseases merited higher rankings. Equally, there was concordance regarding the relatively lower priority interventions."