Planning was introduced in India through the establishment of the Planning Commission in 1950 to determine social and economic objectives and allocate resources efficiently. The early Five Year Plans from 1951-1966 focused on industrialization, import substitution, and addressing economic challenges. Later plans incorporated reforms, with the Eighth Plan seeing growth improve after economic liberalization in 1991. Planning helped achieve some modernization and self-reliance, though it faced issues with equitable growth and development. Currently, planning plays a coordinating and advisory role in India's market-oriented economy.

1. PLANNING
A TOOL TO ACHIEVE
MACROECONOMIC TARGETS
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2. INTRODUCTION
 Planning is a prudent, rational and scientific
system for determining our social and economic
objectives and working hard to achieve them.
 According to draft of First Five year plan,
“Economic planning is essentially a way of
organising and utilising resources to maximum
advantage in terms of defined social ends. It
includes:
 A system of ends to be pursued and
 Knowledge of available resources and their optimum
allocation.
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3. INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE OF
PLANNING IN INDIA
 Planning was institutionalised as a part of normal
government activity with establishment of Planning
Commission in March 1950 under the chairmanship
of Prime Minister.
 This was followed by the establishment of the
National Development Council (NDC) consisting of
all Chief Ministers of the states and members of the
Union Cabinet and full-time members of the
Planning Commission, and chaired by the Prime
Minister.
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4. OBJECTIVES OF PLANNING
 Modernisation
 Self Reliance
 Economic Growth
 Equity and Social Justice
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5. PLANS AND THEIR STRATAGIES
EARLY EXPERIENCE WITH FIVE YEAR PLANS
 First Five Year Plan (1951-56) was just a little more than
collection of ongoing public investment projects to take
care of damages caused due to war, famine(1943) and
partition of sub-continent .
 It also aimed at a general increase in the standard of
the living including wider objectives of full employment
and removal of inequalities.
 In Second five year Plan (1956-1961), Mahalanobis
Strategy was adopted as it aimed at import substitution
led growth(self-reliance). It was adopted to save foreign
exchange, protect domestic market and solving
unemployment problems. 5

6.  Introduced by P.C. Mahalanobis, Mahalanobis strategy
had the following aspects:
 Developing a sound base for initiating the process of long term
growth
 High priority to industrialisation
 Emphasis on development of capital good industries as
against consumer good industries.
 The Second Plan strategy ran into difficulties in the late
1950s because of severe balance-of-payments problems
and food shortages, both of which were arguably linked
to the neglect of export possibilities and of agriculture.
Inflationary pressures intensified. Population growth also
turned out to be a larger problem than was originally
anticipated.
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7.  The Third Plan (1961 to 1966) sought to address
these problems, but without changing the basic
strategy of industrialization based on promoting the so
called ‘heavy industries’ with a strong emphasis on the
public sector, while providing protection from import
competition through quantitative restrictions on
imports.
 Public Sector was assigned the role of:
 Promoting infrastructural facilities
 Creation of capacity in basic and capital goods industries
 Public ownership of means of production
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8.  However, its performance fell much short of its expectations
due to two years of bad harvests(1965-67), wars with China
and Pakistan, Drought in 1965-66 and devaluation of rupee.
 To overcome agricultural stagnation and increase
productivity, new package of policy in agriculture sector was
introduced in Annual plans(1966-69) which included:
 Development of HYVs
 Use of chemical based fertilizers and pesticides
 Commercial source of water supply
 Controlled water supply
 Introduction of PSP
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9.  Later Fourth Five Year Plan(1969-74) focused on
growth with stability, including:
 Managing foreign exchange scarcity
 Reducing fluctuations in agricultural production
 Reducing dependence on foreign assistance (tightening
of import controls)
 However, it failed to reduce poverty as elusive
targets of growth were not enough.
 So, a number of anti poverty schemes evolved for
rural employment and small and marginal farmers
in Fifth year plan(1974-79) to implement a direct
attack on poverty to help the poor.
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10. ECONOMIC REFORMS IN THE 1980S
 With Sixth Five Year Plan(1980-85), the 1980s saw the
beginning of changes in economic policy with greater flexibility
being given to the private sector, and freer access to imports
for exporters, combined with a conscious effort at managing
the exchange rate to avoid exchange rate appreciation in real
terms.
 In Seventh Five Year Plan(1986-90), policies towards the
private sector were made more supportive and the tax system
was rationalised. By 1988 all industries were delicensed
except for 32 industries.
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11. ECONOMIC REFORMS AFTER 1991
The balance of payment crisis in 1991 was triggered by
the sharp increase in oil prices on account of Gulf War
in 1990. It lead to the unveiling of economic reforms of
1991 which focused on:
 Placing greater reliance on private sector
 Opening the economy to foreign trade and foreign direct
investment
 Restructuring the role of government to concentrate on
functions not likely to be performed by market
 Promoting livelihood supporting activities for the poor
 Ensuring balance of macroeconomic parameters
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12.  Eight Five Year Plan (1992-97) showed a definite
improvement after the reforms of 1991. The BoP crisis was
quickly overcome and economic growth resumed strongly
after 1992 yielding an average growth rate of 6.7%.
 However, economy slowed down thereafter due to global
slowdown(East Asian Crisis in 1997), slower reforms and a
string of poor monsoons.
 As a result, the growth rate dipped to 5.5% in the Ninth Five
Year Plan(1997-2002).
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13.  The Tenth Plan called for a renewed effort at pushing
economic reforms to achieve a growth rate of 8 per cent.
 After an initially weak start, the economy accelerated
significantly and the growth rate in the Tenth Plan period
(2002 to 2007) was 7.8% percent.
 A target of 9% has been set for the Eleventh Five Year
Plan(2007-12) and it is expected to be more inclusive with a
better performance in agricultural sector.
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14. ACHIEVEMENTS OF PLANNING
 Somewhat satisfactory growth
 Some modernization
 Some success at self reliance
 Little success on equity and social justice
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15. Growth Targets and Achievements
Target % Actual %
1. First Plan (1951–56) 2.1 3.6
2, Second Plan (1956–61) 4.5 4.2
3. Third Plan (1961–66) 5.6 2.7
4. Fourth Plan (1969–74) 5.7 3.4
5. Fifth Plan (1974–79) 4.4 4.9
6. Sixth Plan (1980–85) 5.2 5.5
7. Seventh Plan (1985–90) 5.0 5.7
8. Eighth Plan (1992–97) 5.6 6.5
9. Ninth Plan (1997–2002) 6.5 5.5
10. Tenth Plan (2002–07) 8.0 7.8
11. Eleventh Plan(2007–12) 9.0 8.1 (Estimated)
Note: The growth targets for the first three plans were set with respect
to national income. In the Fourth Plan it was net domestic product. In
all Plans thereafter it has been gross domestic product at factor cost. 15

16. FAILURES OF PLANNING
 No significant improvement in Standards of Living
 Inflation and Unemployment
 Less growth in Agricultural Sector
 Inequality in Distribution of income and wealth
 Low capital Formation
 Unbalanced growth of different regions
 Inferior development of Infrastructure
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17. ROLE OF PLANNING IN POST
LIBERALISATION ERA
 Indicative Planning
 Coordinating Agency
 Ensures Growth with Justice
 Resource Allocator
 Advisor to States
 Think Tank for the Government
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18. CONCLUSION-
 First four five year plans were aimed to achieve macroeconomic
targets of better employment, import substitution industrialization,
removal of equalities, check on poverty and to grow with stability.
 Sixth & seventh five year plan came with some economic reforms
to give some flexibility to private sector & easy imports for
exporters. However later in year 1991 LPG policy was introduced
 Eight plan showed some improvement in terms of growth rate of
6.7% and a growth rate of 7.8% in tenth plan.
 Although there were failures in these plans but somehow they
contributed to some modernisation, self reliance, better social
justice.
Thus, planning became a tool for Indian economy to achieve it’s
macroeconomic targets.
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19. THANKS
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