Five-year plans of India
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The economy of India is based in part on planning through its five-year plans, developed, executed and monitored by the Planning Commission. With the Prime Minister as the ex officio Chairman, the commission has a nominated Deputy Chairman, who has rank of a Cabinet minister. Montek Singh Ahluwalia is currently the Deputy Chairman of the Commission. The tenth plan completed its term in March 2007 and the eleventh plan is currently underway. First plan (1951-1956)The first Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru presented the first five-year plan to the Parliament of India on December 8, 1951. The total plan budget of 206.8 billion INR (23.6 billion USD in the 1950 exchange rate) was allocated to seven broad areas: irrigation and energy (27.2 percent), agriculture and community development (17.4 percent), transport and communications (24 percent), industry (8.4 percent), social services (16.64 percent), land rehabilitation 4.1 percent), and other (2.5 percent). The target growth rate was 2.1 percent annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth; the achieved growth rate was 3.6 percent. During the first five-year plan the net domestic product went up by 15 percent. The monsoons were good and there were relatively high crop yields, boosting exchange reserves and per capita income, which went up 8 percent. Lower increase of per capita income as compared to national income was due to rapid population growth. Many irrigation projects were initiated during this period, including the Bhakra Dam, Hirakud Dam, and Mettur Dam in South India. The World Health Organization, with the Indian government, addressed children's health and reduced infant mortality, contributing to population growth. At the end of the plan period in 1956, five Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) were started as major technical institutions. University Grant Commission was set up to take care of funding and take measures to strengthen the higher education in the country. Contracts were signed to start five steel plants; however these plants did not come into existence until the middle of the next five-year plan. Second plan (1956-1961)The second five-year plan focused on industry, especially heavy industry. Domestic production of industrial products was encouraged, particularly in the development of the public sector. The plan followed the Mahalanobis model, an economic development model developed by the Indian statistician Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in 1953. The plan attempted to determine the optimal allocation of investment between productive sectors in order to maximise long-run economic growth . Hydroelectric power projects and five steel mills at Bhilai, Durgapur, and Jamshedpur were established. Coal production was increased. More railway lines were added in the north east. The Atomic Energy Commission was formed in 1957 with Homi J. Bhabha as the first chairman. The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research was established as a research institute. In 1957 a talent search and scholarship program was begun to find talented young students to train for work in nuclear power. Third plan (1961-1966)The third plan stressed on agriculture, but the brief Sino-Indian War in 1962 exposed weaknesses in the economy and shifted the focus towards defense. In 1965-1966, the Green Revolution in India advanced agriculture. The war led to inflation and the priority was shifted to price stabilization. The construction of dams continued. Many cement and fertilizer plants were also built. Punjab begun producing an abundance of wheat. Many primary schools were started in rural areas. In an effort to bring democracy to the grassroot level, Panchayat elections were started and the states were given more development responsibilities. State electricity boards and state secondary education boards were formed. States were made responsible for secondary and higher education. State road transportation corporations were formed and local road building became a state responsibility. Fourth plan (1969-1974)At this time Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister. The Indira Gandhi government nationalized 19 major Indian banks. In addition, the situation in East Pakistan (now independent Bangladesh) was becoming dire as the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and Bangladesh Liberation War took place. Funds earmarked for the industrial development had to be used for the war effort. India also performed the Smiling Buddha underground nuclear test in 1974, partially in response to the United States deployment of the Seventh Fleet in the Bay of Bengal to warn India against attacking West Pakistan and widening the war. Fifth plan (1974-1979)Stress was laid on employment, poverty alleviation, and justice. The plan also focused on self-reliance in agricultural production and defense. In 1978 the newly elected Morarji Desai government rejected the plan. Sixth plan (1980-1985)Called the Janata government plan, the sixth plan marked a reversal of the Nehruvian model. When Rajiv Gandhi was elected as the prime minister, the young prime minister aimed for rapid industrial development, especially in the area of information technology. Progress was slow, however, partly because of caution on the part of labor and communist leaders. The Indian national highway system was introduced for the first time and many roads were widened to accommodate the increasing traffic. Tourism also expanded. The sixth plan also marked the beginning of economic liberalization. Price controls on prices was eliminated and ration shops were closed. This led to an increase in food prices and an increased cost of living. Family planning also was expanded in order to prevent overpopulation. In contrast to China's harshly-enforced one-child policy, Indian policy did not rely on the threat of force. More prosperous areas of India adopted family planning more rapidly than less prosperous areas, which continued to have a high birth rate. Seventh plan (1985-1989)The Seventh Plan marked the comeback of the Congress Party to power. The plan lay stress on improving the productivity level of industries by upgradation of technology. Period between 1989-911989-91 was a period of political instability in India and hence no five year plan was implemented. Between 1990 and 1992, there were only Annual Plans. In 1991, India faced a crisis in Foreign Exchange (Forex) reserves, left with reserves of only about $1 billion (US). Thus, under pressure, the country took the risk of reforming the socialist economy. P.V. Narasimha Rao)(28 June 1921 – 23 December 2004) also called Father of Indian Economic Reforms was the twelfth Prime Minister of the Republic of India and head of Congress Party, and led one of the most important administrations in India's modern history overseeing a major economic transformation and several incidents affecting national security. At that time Dr. Manmohan Singh (currently, Prime Minister of India) launched India's free market reforms that brought the nearly bankrupt nation back from the edge. It was the beginning of privatization and liberalization in India. Eighth plan (1992-1997)Modernization of industries was a major highlight of the Eighth Plan. Under this plan, the gradual opening of the Indian economy was undertaken to correct the burgeoning deficit and foreign debt. Meanwhile India became a member of the World Trade Organization on 1 January 1995. Ninth plan (1997-2002)During the Ninth Plan period, the growth rate was 5.35 per cent, a percentage point lower than the target GDP growth of 6.5 per cent.
Tenth plan (2002-2007)The main objectives of the 10th Five-Year Plan are:
Eleventh plan (2007-2012)The eleventh plan has the following objectives:
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