Planning in India — The Five Year Plans, Their Models and NITI Aayog

Why a Poor Country Chose to Plan

In 1947 India inherited an economy with almost no heavy industry, low savings and a farm sector at the mercy of the monsoon. The answer chosen was planned development: the state would decide priorities and direct investment rather than leave it to the market.

The Planning Commission was set up on 15 March 1950, not by the Constitution and not by an Act of Parliament, but by a simple Cabinet resolution — so it was an extra-constitutional, non-statutory advisory body throughout its life. The Prime Minister was its ex-officio Chairman. Two years later, in 1952, the National Development Council was created to give the states a voice and to give final approval to each plan.

Why this earns revision time: plan numbers, their models and their slogans are pure recall, they never change, and every general studies paper asks at least one.

1. The Planning Commission of India was set up in which year?

2. The Second Five Year Plan was based on the growth model developed by:

3. Which Five Year Plan gave the highest priority to agriculture and irrigation?

4. The period 1966–69, when no Five Year Plan was in operation, is known as:

5. The slogan 'Garibi Hatao' is most closely associated with which Five Year Plan?

6. NITI Aayog came into existence on:

7. Who is the ex-officio Chairperson of NITI Aayog?

8. What was the theme of the Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012–17), the last plan India prepared?