New Delhi, Delhi, 17th of January, 2026 : A two-day conference on “Enhancing Gender Statistics” was organised by the Social Statistics Division of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) and National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) on 15–16 January 2026 at the NCAER campus in New Delhi. The conference brought together policymakers, researchers and statisticians to deliberate on the topic of “Enhancing Gender Statistics”.
The inaugural session began with a welcome address by Shri Suresh Goyal, Director General, NCAER, who warmly welcomed Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI, and emphasised the critical role of robust gender statistics in informed and inclusive policymaking. Dr. Sonalde Desai, Professor and Centre Director, NDIC, NCAER, provided context-setting remarks, underscoring the need for gender-responsive data systems to support evidence-based development planning.
Delivering the inaugural address, Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI, highlighted the importance of gender statistics in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of public policy. Drawing on examples from several flagship government schemes, he emphasised how genderdisaggregated data are essential for effective evidence-based policy design and implementation.
The primary objective of the conference was to examine methodological challenges in collecting data from women and about women, with a focus on improving data quality, relevance, and usability for policy. The sessions featured eminent speakers and distinguished experts, including Dr Gurucharan Manna (Senior Adviser, NCAER and Former DG, NSSO and CSO), Mr. Aloke Kar, (Visiting Scientist, ISI and Former ISS officer), Ms Shamika Ravi (Member, PM–EAC), Dr. Sonalde Desai (NCAER), Mr. Satish B. Agnihotri, Professor, IIT Bombay (Former Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat), Dr. S. Chandrasekhar, Professor, IGIDR and
Dr. Ashwini Deshpande, Professor, Ashoka University. Speakers also included experts from MoSPI, NCAER, Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), World Bank, ILO, IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, Azim Premji University, O.P. Jindal Global University, Population Foundation of India, United Nations representatives, and other premier academic and research institutions.
Discussions focused on challenges in measuring gender inequality in economic empowerment, strategies for gender mainstreaming in data collection, and the identification of critical data gaps and biases that limit the accurate capture of women’s lived realities. The conference also underscored the importance of integrating gender perspectives into evolving statistical methodologies. The programme featured technical presentations on the evolution, key findings, and emerging challenges of the Indian statistical system, followed by focused discussions on the Sustainable Development Goals through a gender lens, and an engaging panel discussion on gender and emerging policy priorities.
In his valedictory remarks, Shri N. K. Santoshi, Director General (Central Statistics), MoSPI, reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to strengthening gender-responsive statistical systems and improving data quality, granularity, and policy relevance through continued methodological refinement and institutional collaboration.
The two-day conference concluded with a strong reaffirmation of the critical role of robust, inclusive, and methodologically sound gender statistics in advancing evidence-based policymaking and gender-responsive development outcomes in India.
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