Dubai: Good grassroot research was needed to formulate "evidence-based policies" to help in reduction of poverty, according to top experts who gathered here for an international workshop on research and policy.

"The central theme of India's policy priorities is poverty reduction and, in that context, how to improve inclusion in India's growth story," P.K. Mohanty, mission director of India's Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), told IANS.

He said to reach that goal it was imperative that Indian policies were based on good research.

"We are continuously in search of good researchers as we formulate policies to fight poverty. We need to put together good evidence-based policies, which can only come through good research," Mohanty, who was here to attend a workshop on 'Bridging Policy and Research', said.

The workshop was organised by the Global Development Network (GDN), a worldwide network of research and policy institutes, and the Dubai School of Government (DSG).

Stating that poverty eradication continued to be the top priority of Indian policy-makers, the head of the $12.5-billion JNNURM said that the country's efforts to reach double digit growth from the current rate of about nine percent are aimed at poverty reduction.