NCAER Research Areas - Investment Climate, Physical and Economic Infrastructure

Investment Climate, Fiscal and Economic Infrastruture

Well-functioning power, telecommunications and transportation infrastructure is key to any modern economy. Over the years, Council has produced a number of important studies and reports on India's infrastructure including topics such as domestic fuel use, use of non-conventional energy, regulatory framework for electricity generation and supply, telecommunication and transportation.


The Council has established a Centre for Infrastructure Studies and Regulation. An important project currently under way at the Centre, which focuses on regulation and competition in infrastructure industries, is funded by EU-India Economic Cross- Cultural Program of European Commission. The project is collaboration between the Council and a group of European research institutions led by Centre for Economic Policy Research. The Centre for Infrastructure Studies and Regulation has carried out a series of studies in the telecommunication sector focusing on the Universal Service Obligation. Rural infrastructure issues have now emerged as key to rural development strategy. The Council has completed an important program on rural infrastructure that reviews the status of these services and lessons from various approaches to rural infrastructure development.

In the area of transportation the Council has carried out studies in civil aviation sector, inland transportation and currently involved in a study of passenger transportation in the states.

Besides the physical infrastructure sectors, development of the industrial sectors has been an important area of research for us. The studies on E-Readiness in the states to facilitate e-governance are pioneering in this area.

Surveys of household expenditure provide important data to understand the role of different sectors in terms of their impact on the economy. A detailed survey of domestic tourism has provided information on spending by domestic tourists in the country. The Market Information Survey of Households has generated a large data base on consumer purchases of major consumer goods across income groups, states, major cities and for urban and rural areas.