Development Evaluation Society of India (DESI) was formed by a group of evaluation professionals and researchers with the aim of evolving a strategy to revive and sustain the culture of “learning from experience” in development planning and administration. It was registered (No. S-32707) in 2002 under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. DESI plans to attain its goal by undertaking the following activities:

• Undertake studies to identify and understand the factors that help create an enabling environment for mainstreaming development evaluation in governance; technology promotion, technology demonstration to access the impact of such interventions in agriculture, industry, health and other sectors to achieve sustainable economic and environmental goals.
• Dissemination of results of such research to planners, policy makers, intelligentsia, media and civil society organisations
• Promote exchange of views across the whole spectrum of stakeholders on issues relating to reforms and actions required to revive and sustain the culture of evaluation for development effectiveness;
• Undertaking capacity building and promoting excellence in theory and practice of development evaluation through training, networking, research, technology promotion and demonstration, sensitization and dissemination of research output and information; and
• Undertake impact evaluation studies and promote debates on merits of various development interventions, schemes and programmes.