T. T. Krishnamachari, then a Minister in Union Cabinet, held talks with Douglas Ensminger, the Ford Foundation’s head for India, to discuss the broad outline of a plan to set up an institution of economic research to get independent and reliable data and analysis for establishing priorities, allocating resources and evaluating performance.

The first meeting of the Governing Body of the Council for Industrial and Economic Research (as it was originally called) was held in the office of the then Planning Commission’s Deputy Chairman, V. T. Krishnamachari, in May 1956.

The first Governing Body of NCAER included all Economics Ministers and leading lights of the private sector, such as C. D. Deshmukh, J. R. D. Tata, John Matthai, N. R. Pillai, J. F. Sinclair, and Asoka Mehta.

The Board is headed by Dr Surjit Bhalla, Executive Director for India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Bhutan at the IMF and NCAER Governing Body member.

The examples include Former Finance Secretary and Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India, Rakesh Mohan; Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India Subir Gokarn; Members of the Economic Council Advisory of the Prime Minister Rakesh Mohan, Suman Bery, and Poonam Gupta; Member of RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee Shashanka Bhide, NCAER’s faculty.

Senior Faculty members of NCAER have been routinely involved in contributing to national and state-level policymaking through their direct participation in government nominated committees, commissions, and task forces.

NCAER has consistently deployed and favoured a multi -disciplinary approach to the solutions of economic problems through its research and outreach activities, which are rooted in the ethos of quality, rigor, and relevance.

The IPF Conference is attended by a galaxy of eminent policymakers, scholars, practitioners, academics, and members of the research fraternity, thus providing an unparalleled platform and convening power for policy outreach.

Apart from facilitating a dynamic interface between global experts and Indian policymakers, this one-of-a-kind event also mainstreams the economic challenges and persistent questions of the day while offering viable solutions for them.

NCAER brings out a significant body of publications, including books, journals, reports, monographs, working papers, newsletters, and policy briefs throughout the year.

Designed by the highly-regarded, Harvard-trained architect, A. P. Kanvinde, NCAER’s iconic campus, located in the heart of New Delhi, has been home to some of the best economists, statisticians, journalists, and corporate minds of India.