NCAER organises the India Policy Forum (IPF) Conference, a unique combination of intense scholarship and policymaker engagement, annually. The IPF Conference, which has been held by NCAER every year since 2004, aims to promote original economic policy and empirical research on India. During the last two decades, the IPF has evolved as a marquee annual event for NCAER and a vital podium for carrying forward its rich legacy and historical traditions of promoting empirical evidence-based research.

NCAER hosted the 23^rd edition of the IPF Conference at its premises during 6-8 August 2026, in collaboration with NITI Aayog and The World Bank. The Conference was attended by a galaxy of eminent policymakers, scholars, practitioners, academics, and members of the research fraternity. The keynote address at the Conference was delivered by Mr Nandan Nilekani, Chairman, NCAER’s Governing Board and Co-founder and Chairman, Infosys.

The five research papers presented at IPF 2026 covered key policy issues in India, including regulation in India; a macroeconomic perspective of India’s development perspectives; macro perspective of Bihar’s development; key linkages between the food processing sector and agricultural growth; and the role of contract labour in manufacturing. In addition, the Conference featured a number of panel discussions and lectures on significant themes such as India’s economic reforms and growth agenda; technological, institutional and policy innovations; role of think tanks in policymaking; state-driven reform agenda; and growing impact of AI and DPI.

The highlight of IPF 2026 was the C.D. Deshmukh Lecture, delivered by the Hon. Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Ms Nirmala Sitharaman, at NCAER on 6 August 2026. NCAER has been organising the annual C.D. Deshmukh Memorial Lecture to honour Sir Chintaman Dwarakanath Deshmukh, one of India’s most eminent economists and one of its founding fathers. In her lecture titled, “Viksit Bharat: Our Ambition and Destiny”, Smt. Sitharaman commented on the key milestones of the Indian economy over the years and the impact of global trends and national developments on India’s economic growth. She also congratulated NCAER on reaching its 70^th anniversary, noting that the institution was founded in 1956 with support from the Finance Ministry.