Baseline Evaluation for Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project (TNRTP)
Narrative Description of Project:
The Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project (TNRTP) is a large-scale initiative aimed at fostering sustainable rural development by promoting enterprise growth, improving financial access, and creating employment opportunities across 120 blocks, 3,994 panchayats, and 31 districts of Tamil Nadu. As the knowledge partner, Convergent conducted a comprehensive baseline evaluation to establish critical benchmarks for the Project Development Objective (PDO) indicators. The study assessed the current status of rural enterprises, livelihood opportunities, and household income through a detailed household survey and qualitative interviews with key stakeholders, including Village Poverty Reduction Committee Members, SHG Members, and Producer Collective Members. The baseline findings provided a foundation to track progress and evaluate the project’s long-term impact on rural communities.
Description of Actual Services Provided:
Convergent managed the end-to-end execution of the baseline study, delivering the following key services:
- Survey Framework & Methodology: Designed the survey framework and finalized research tools.
- CAPI Application Development: Developed a customized application for error-free data collection.
- Real-Time Dashboards: Created dashboards for monitoring fieldwork and data quality.
- Field Staff Training & Pilot Testing: Conducted training and pilot testing to refine instruments.
- Sampling Strategy & Quality Control: Finalized sampling strategy and implemented quality mechanisms.
- Household Survey & Data Analysis: Administered the survey and performed comprehensive analysis.
- Baseline Reporting: Prepared a detailed report with actionable insights for impact measurement.
Research Methodology
Surveys were administered in Tamil using Face-to-Face Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI).
- Quantitative Phase
2,250 Household surveys
