Five
Year Plans and Development
Five year plans were first introduced in the erstwhile Soviet
Union in 1928 for controlled and rapid economic development.
Much of the Soviet industrial successes are a result of the
implementation of its five year plans. In 1950, India’s
prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, impressed by the Soviet system,
adopted five year plans as a model for economic development,
and established the Planning Commission which was to act independent
of any cabinet and was answerable only to the prime minister,
who is also chairperson of the commission. Draft plans were
to be approved by the National Development Council, comprising
the Planning Commission and the chief ministers of all states.
An approved plan is then passed by the cabinet and then in Parliament.
The benefits of five year planning, especially in a country
as big and unpredictable as India, have been questioned by many,
and it has often been seen that targets are not met. This method
has still not been able to successfully get rid of poverty and
the cost overruns in failed or incomplete public sector projects
are often too high. Be that as it may, five year plans are still
a good yardstick to determine investment and policy priorities.
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In 1951, India’s first
Five Year Plan (1951-55) was unveiled. While the first plan
placed greater emphasis on agriculture, the second Five Year
Plan (1956-60) sought to build up an industrial base for the
country, particularly in the public sector. However, the chief
landmark in this period was wide ranging and broad-based reforms
in the village power structure by the abolition of the zamindari
system and the creation of cooperatives among the rural poor
to stimulate agricultural growth. The Third Five Year Plan (1961-65)
was interrupted by the 1962 war with China and the 1965 war
with Pakistan, and it was evident that its targets would not
be met. Its main basis was the conviction that an increase in
agricultural production, particularly foodgrains, is essential
for political stability and to build up food security and a
buffer stock so as to not depend on foreign imports. Area specific
programmes like the Intensive Area Agricultural Programme and
the Intensive Agricultural District Programme were promoted
at this time. This was followed by three annual plans between
1966 and 1968, once again emphasizing on agriculture, and also
on stimulating exports, in the process also devaluating the
rupee in 1966. The Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-73) called for
greater expenditure in the public sector, but was not able to
meet its national income growth target. This was the time when
the so-called “Green Revolution” begun, which by
the end of the Fifth Five Year Plan period ensured food security
and adequate buffer stocks for India. The Fifth Five Year Plan
was only passed in 1976 after a series of revisions due to the
global crisis over crude oil prices, but it had to be prematurely
terminated because of internal political differences following
the election of a new government. There were two more annual
plans in 1978 and 1979. The Sixth Five Year Plan (1980-84) took
a more adaptable “rolling” approach and concentrated
on employment generation in rural areas and anti-poverty measures,
while the Seventh Five Year Plan (1985-89) laid greater emphasis
on energy and social development. Following two more annual
plans in 1990 and 1991, the Eighth Five Year Plan was launched
in 1992, setting of economic liberalization and market based
reforms, the fruits of which are still being enjoyed today.
It was a landmark in the sense that it encouraged private investment
in major public sector undertakings, greater rural and agricultural
development and anti-poverty and anti-illiteracy measures. It
also continued the emphasis on food security and foodgrains
were also being exported during this period. The Ninth Five
Year Plan (1997-2001) continued with the momentum of its predecessor,
especially emphasizing on employment generation and poverty
reduction.
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India’s Tenth Five Year
Plan has been devised to complement and meet the United Nations
Millennium Development Goals (MDG) targets. The MDG were issued
in 2000 to achieve eight targets to eradicate hunger and poverty
and raise the standards of living worldwide by the year 2015
through global cooperation. (See also: Millennium Development
Goals) Much of the Tenth Five Year Plan targets are
extremely ambitious, even more so than the MDG themselves, and
midway through, it seems apparent that while some can be met,
others may not.
The most significant targets in this plan are the reduction
of poverty to only 20 per cent, increased employment generation,
universal primary education and raising the literacy rate
to 75 per cent, reduction in gender gaps in literacy and wage
rates, reduction in population growth, reduction in infant
mortality to 45 per 1000 live births and maternal mortality
to two per 1000 live births, universal availability of drinking
water, clearing of all major polluted rivers and increase
in forest cover to 25 per cent.
While India does seem on track towards meeting its poverty
alleviation and universal primary education goals, a lot of
work still needs to be done in the health sector. (See article
on Millennium Development Goals for more statistics)
See also: Food Security, Gender Issues, Education,
Community Development, Agriculture and Rural Development,
Biodiversity, Health and Pollution, Water and Sanitation,
Poverty
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Planning Commission of India
Government body that is responsible for analyzing priorities for investment and policies and drafting the nation's five year plans
( http://planningcommission.nic.in/)
Integrated Child Development
Services Scheme
Government programme for nutrition and healthcare
of children and women
(
http://wcd.nic.in/childdet.htm )
Antyodaya Anna Yojana
Affordable food for the impoverished
( http://www.fcamin.nic.in/aay.htm)
Ashray Adhikar Abhiyan
An NGO that looks after the food and shelter needs
of the homeless in Delhi.
( http://www.delhishomeless.org/index.htm)
ActionAid India
International development agency that strives for
a world without poverty
( http://www.actionaidindia.org)
USAID India
International economic growth and development agency
( http://www.usaid.gov/in)
Seva Mandir
A voluntary organization engaged in rural development,
literacy and health programmes in Udaipur and surrounding districts
in Rajasthan
( http://www.sevamandir.org)
BAIF Development Research
Foundation
NGO committed to sustainable rural and community development
projects, rural empowerment and self-determination.
( http://www.baif.com)
CARE India
Economic assistance and self-empowerment
( http://www.careindia.org)
International Institute
for Sustainable Development
Global organization that champions innovation in sustainable
development and better living
( http://www.iisd.org)
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