Centre for the Study of Developing Societies

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The Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) is an Indian research institute for social sciences and humanities. It was founded in 1963 by Rajni Kothari^[1] and is largely funded by the Indian Council of Social Science Research.^[2] It is located in New Delhi, close to Delhi University.^[3]

Key Information

Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), Delhi
Abbreviation	CSDS
Formation	1963
Founder	Rajni Kothari
Type	Autonomous government research institute
Purpose	social sciences and humanities research
Headquarters	29 Rajpur Road, Civil Lines, Delhi - 110054
Director	Awadhendra Sharan
Main organ	Board of Governors
Website	www.csds.in
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In August 2025, the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) issued a show-cause notice to CSDS citing past irregularities and gross violations of grant-in-aid rules. The notice alleged that CSDS released misleading election data related to 2024 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election and gave biased interpretation of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar allegedly aimed at “maligning the reputation and image” of the Election Commission of India (ECI).^[4]

Kothari left his position as assistant director of the National Institute of Community Development in 1963 to establish the CSDS. It was housed initially in a building owned by the Indian Adult Education Association at Indraprastha Estate, Delhi.^[5] CSDS later moved in 1966–1967 to its present location.

The library at CSDS started with a few bookshelves in the basement of IAEA and grew into a fully-fledged one by 1970. It is meant primarily for research and higher learning in the field of social sciences and humanities. The collection consists of about 29,000 books and 5,000 bound volumes of journals and a modest set of reports and booklets. More than 130 journals are received regularly. Apart from works on contemporary themes, the library houses a collection of works on Asia and Africa, the arms race and peace movement, non-European perspectives, science studies, ecology and environment, and human rights. There is a separate collection of Hindi books covering a broad range of subjects including literature. The access to the collection has been computerised and the catalogue can be accessed through any computer in the centre. The CSDS library is a member of the Developing Libraries Network and the Social Science Libraries Network.^[6]

The CSDS Data Unit, established in 1965, maintains an archive of survey data on political behaviour and attitudes, spanning over four decades. The unit also holds a number of secondary data sets, especially on elections in India.^[7]

Programmes operated by the centre include:^[8]

• Lokniti Programme for Comparative Democracy^[9]
• The Sarai Programme^[10]
• Indian Language Programme^[11]

• Official website

28°40′41″N 77°13′05″E / 28.678°N 77.218°E / 28.678; 77.218