Evaluation in Karnataka Forest Department started way back from the year 1993. Since then, every year government order was issued for conducting evaluation. The order specified about the teams formed, schemes and programs which have to evaluated, evaluation methodology, formats for data collection etc., The Go’s were issued till the year 2004. From 2005-2014, the PCCF/APCCF(EWPRT) issued orders for conducting evaluation every time based on the earlier GOs. A change in this methodology was brought in during 2015. In order to standardize these changes in methodology for conducting evaluation in the department, a Committee was constituted by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests(Head of Forest Force) during October 2017 to deliberate on the issues in the methodology and other evaluation matters. The committee submitted its report to PCCF(HOFF) in December 2017. The recommendations of the report were accepted by PCCF(HOFF) and OM No.A3/CCF/EVA/Cr-7/2017-18 dated 27.3.18 which gives an elaborate guidelines for conducting evaluations in the department was issued.
During 2017-18, "Evaluation of Forestry works for the period 2009-10 to 2014-15" was conducted and completed through third party consultants. The work was divided into 13 territorial circles and 1 wildlife unit i.e.FDPT, Mysore making it a total of 14 units. 7 consultants were successful in the tender process who bagged 1 to 3 units for evaluation. The evaluation work was completed during March 2018 with the submission of final reports by all the consultants.
A Departmental Evaluation Committee (DEC) has been constituted as per Official Memorandum of PCCF (HOFF) dated 9.5.2017 to discuss the matters pertaining to Evaluations. The Committee met on 16-10-2017 and apart from standardization of evaluation matters discussed on taking up "Thematic Evaluations" in the department, which means certain themes/programs of department which have passed certain period of implementation should be evaluated and its outcome assessed. The recommendations of DEC shall for part of the 5 year calendar of evaluation works in KFD. The Evaluation wing has developed an Android mobile application to be used for data collection in field during evaluation. This app shall be used for both 'in-house' as well as 'third-party' evaluation. Another web-app is being developed by ICT for uploading all the sanctioned APOs of all the schemes implanted in all the wings of KFD-Territorial, Social Forestry, Wildlife, Working Plan, Research and Training so that the work list is readily available with the evaluation wing to take up both regular and thematic evaluations as and when required.
(For more details, please download the Karnataka Forest Department annual report 2017 - 18, from
aranya.gov.in)
