Data Intelligence Lab
Unlocking India's Data for Better Decisions
Transforming complex and national datasets like NSS, NFHS, LASI, PLFS into decision ready intelligence.
Explore DILBridging Rigorous Evidence with Equitable Development
A research and advisory think tank empowering governments, donors, foundations, and civil society to make informed decisions and achieve scalable, lasting impact.
- Scientific Integrity
- Equity Focus
- Strategic Impact
9+
Sectoral domains covered
10+
Major national datasets mastered
100%
Evidence-to-policy alignment
Our Pillars
Design & Methods
Advanced sampling protocols, mixed-methods research, and meta-analysis.
Evaluation & Impact
Quasi-experimental designs and rigorous impact measurement.
Strategy & Advisory
Translating research into actionable policy, programme design, and technical assistance.
Domain Expertise
Multidisciplinary coverage spanning health, education, climate resilience, and fragile ecosystems.
Flagship Initiatives
NEXT Initiative
Nurturing Emerging Researchers & Transformative Thinkers
Capacity building, mentorship, and research to policy engagement for the next generation.
Discover NEXTFeatured Insights
The latest policy briefs and working papers, and the dialogues and webinars coming up next.
Article & Book
Under-5 mortality in India: Declining Trend, Regional Inequalities and SDGs
Rajesh Raushan
The study investigated progress in under-5 mortality rate (U5MR) at national and sub-national level in India. The article also provides evidence of country’s progress towards achieving SDG targets 3.2 related to U5MR achievements and required pace post-2020 to achieve the fixed target by 2030. Using the five consecutive rounds of NFHS data, study estimated U5MR at the national and sub-national levels and calculated economic inequality-adjusted under-five mortality rates (IU5MR). The study further assessed state specific gap in U5MR with respect to country level estimates along with the required annual rate of reduction to achieve SDG 3.2. The findings reveal that despite all the progress made in U5MR reduction till the date, regional and socioeconomic disparities remain a significant concern suggesting need for more localized policy responses to ensure equitable progress in reducing U5MR at sub-national level in the country. The study contributes to deeper insights on high burden of U5MR and suggests ways for future interventions to achieve SDG target with focus on reducing NMR and prioritizing poorest strata across the regions and states with minimizing inequality to achieve equitable health outcomes in India.
Research Report
Nutritional Inequality and Persisting Social Gradients: Evidence from NFHS
Rajesh Raushan
India has experienced substantial improvements in child nutrition over the long term, but national averages conceal pronounced district-level and social inequalities. Earlier NFHS based research documented a decline in stunting from about 54 percent in 1992-93 to 38 percent in 2015-16 which further declined and reached to 29 percent during 2023-24, latest round of NFHS-6 revealed. Whereas wasted children remained concentrated around 19 percent between 2005/06 and 2023/24. Still only one-fifth of 6-23 months children receiving adequate diet, although it progressed from 9 percent (2019/21). Notably, evidences of regional and socio-economic inequality persist. The high prevalence is particularly evident in parts of eastern and central India. The SC and ST children still bear high burden of malnutrition. The regions having poor outcomes on one indicator are linked with deteriorated outcomes on the other indicators extracted on factor loadings on selected health, nutrition and socio-economic and locational factors. Taken together, these findings suggest that India's nutrition challenge is not simply one of average prevalence, but of where children live and the social circumstances in which they grow. Analysis provides district level disparities have narrowed over time and whether improvements have been equally distributed across wealth groups, caste/social groups, maternal education and rural-urban populations. Such evidence can help identify persistent nutrition hotspots and socially disadvantaged populations, providing a stronger basis for geographically targeted and equity led nutrition interventions.
Policy Brief
Measuring State Readiness: What Composite Indices Hide
Sample Author, Sample Co-Author
Sample abstract. Shows how weighting and normalisation choices can reorder a state ranking without changing any underlying indicator, and proposes a sensitivity reporting standard for published indices.
Webinar & Guest Lecture
Method Capsule: Causal Inference Without an Experiment
Online
Sample event. A short-format session on what quasi-experimental designs can and cannot identify, and how to state the assumptions an estimate rests on.
Policy Dialogue
Policy Dialogue: Closing District Gaps in Nutrition Delivery
New Delhi
Sample event. A closed-door discussion with state officials and programme implementers on why district-level nutrition outcomes have diverged, and what delivery reforms follow.