Based in New Delhi, India, the centre conducts research on public finance and contributes to the process of policy-making relating to public finance.

The NIPFP also works jointly with the Department of Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Finance to research the effects of past economic policy.

[1] NIPFP is overseen by a governing board comprising a chairman and representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Planning Commission of India and Reserve Bank of India.

[2] The previous director was Rathin Roy[3] and chairman was Vijay Kelkar.

The campus consists of two academic and an office block, residential quarters, a hostel (guest house).