Researchers Publication

Most developed and emerging economies regularly estimate their logistics costs and employ performance indicators to track the efficiency of logistics operations. For India, too, systematic measurement of logistics costs is imperative to benchmark its performance vis-à-vis competing economies, and to identify areas for improvement. The vision of Viksit Bharat—a developed India by 2047—further reinforces the...   Read More

India's agricultural future hinges on aligning water and crop calendars to combat the dual threats of drought stress and waterlogging Summary India’s farms thrive when water arrives in sync with crop needs – but that harmony is breaking down. Mistimed irrigation brings twin threats: drought stress and waterlogging, both devastating for smallholders. Erratic monsoons and...   Read More

Training, targeted support can make a difference. India’s livestock sector is experiencing a transformation, and women are at its core. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and NCAER (2025) study titled, ‘National Skill Gap Study for High Growth Sectors’, assessed the skill shortages and gaps in the sector, ‘raising cattle and buffaloes’. The...   Read More

From IT corridors to gig platforms, urban job markets remain stratified by caste, religion and gender. It’s time to make inclusion a core goal of labour policy. In India’s largest cities, a Muslim woman with a university degree is still more likely to be shut out of a white-collar job than her equally qualified peers...   Read More

To the GST Council’s credit, it went beyond the elimination of two rate slabs and delved into fine details to fix structural anomalies in this tax regimes. It broad-bases rates for like goods, corrects inverted duties and clusters products by their end use. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council has finally spoken its mind...   Read More

The political economy of fiscal and financial blind spots. Financial surveillance fails when it matters most. Every major financial disruption – from the 1997 Asian crisis to the 2008 financial crisis or recent geopolitical shocks from wars, sanctions and trade realignments – has exposed how blind spots persist in national systems, regional arrangements and global...   Read More

A critical part of the package are the process reforms for simplifying registrations and expediting refunds, both for inverted duty structure and exports. The run-up to the 56th Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting was full of mixed sentiments—lots of excitement about the broad-brush picture of GST 2.0 reform and yet some lurking apprehension about the...   Read More

Uneven state spending and neglect of infrastructure threaten India’s renewable energy targets despite ambitious national pledges. No country can scale renewable energy without robust infrastructure. Solar and wind power are variable, location-specific, and often generated far from consumption centres. Dedicated transmission corridors are needed to evacuate this power efficiently and reduce curtailments. Upgraded distribution systems...   Read More

NCAER News is a monthly digest where you can learn about NCAER's research outputs, its latest events, and offerings.

India’s goods and services tax (GST) is set for an overhaul by Diwali this year. With so much hope pinned on this reform, we must get every detail of the regime right. Here’s a look at some key issues that must be addressed by the GST Council.  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on Independence...   Read More

The IHDS Forum is a monthly update of socio-economic developments in India by the IHDS research community, based on the India Human Development Survey, jointly conducted by NCAER and the University of Maryland. While two earlier rounds of the survey were completed in 2004-05 and 2011-12, respectively. Fieldwork for the third round was undertaken in...   Read More

Investing in robust public–private partnerships to deliver VET (Vocational Education and Training) is critical for successful skilling. With a volatile external sector increasing the challenge of demand-driven growth, the Prime Minister unveiled a slew of proposed reforms from the Red Fort’s ramparts on August 15. While a recalibration of GST could induce higher domestic consumption...   Read More