INDIA’S FIVE-YEAR PLANS for UPSC

 🇮🇳 INDIA’S FIVE-YEAR PLANS (1951–2017)

Planning Commission existed from 1950–2014.

Five-Year Plans ran from 1951–2017.

Replaced by NITI Aayog (2015).

🟢 1️⃣ First Five-Year Plan (1951–56)

Focus:

Agriculture + Irrigation

Background:

Post-partition food shortage.

Key Points:

Based on Harrod-Domar model

Community Development Programme

Major irrigation projects

Focus on food security

Exam Memory:

1st = Food & Farms

🟢 2️⃣ Second Five-Year Plan (1956–61)

Focus:

Heavy industries

Based on:

Mahalanobis Model

Key Points:

Capital goods industries

Public sector expansion

Import substitution

Steel plants (Bhilai, Rourkela, Durgapur)

Exam Memory:

2nd = Steel & Machines

🟢 3️⃣ Third Five-Year Plan (1961–66)

Focus:

Self-reliance

Problem:

Indo-China War

Indo-Pak War

Drought

Result:

Plan failed.

🚨 Plan Holiday (1966–69)

Three Annual Plans due to crisis.

🟢 4️⃣ Fourth Five-Year Plan (1969–74)

Focus:

Growth with stability

Reduction of inequality

Context:

Bank nationalisation (1969)

🟢 5️⃣ Fifth Five-Year Plan (1974–79)

Focus:

Garibi Hatao

Key:

Poverty removal

Employment generation

Minimum Needs Programme

Terminated early (1978).

🟢 6️⃣ Sixth Five-Year Plan (1980–85)

Focus:

Poverty alleviation

Technology modernisation

🟢 7️⃣ Seventh Five-Year Plan (1985–90)

Focus:

Food, work & productivity

Shift toward market orientation begins.

🚨 1990–92: Economic Crisis

Two Annual Plans

Liberalisation in 1991.

🟢 8️⃣ Eighth Five-Year Plan (1992–97)

First Plan after Liberalisation

Focus:

Human development

Employment

Shift to market economy framework.

🟢 9️⃣ Ninth Five-Year Plan (1997–2002)

Focus:

Growth with social justice

🟢 1️⃣0️⃣ Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002–07)

Focus:

8% GDP growth target

Key:

Monitorable targets introduced.

🟢 1️⃣1️⃣ Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007–12)

Theme:

Inclusive Growth

Focus:

Education

Health

Social sector expansion

🟢 1️⃣2️⃣ Twelfth Five-Year Plan (2012–17)

Theme:

Faster, Sustainable & More Inclusive Growth

Last Five-Year Plan.

📌 WHAT UPSC REALLY ASKS

You don’t need every scheme.

You must remember:

✔ First → Agriculture

✔ Second → Heavy industry (Mahalanobis)

✔ Fourth → Reduce inequality

✔ Fifth → Garibi Hatao

✔ Eighth → Post-liberalisation

✔ Eleventh → Inclusive growth

✔ Twelfth → Sustainable + Inclusive

🔥 Most Important Conceptual Transitions

1950s → State-led heavy industrialisation

1980s → Gradual reform

1991 → Liberalisation

Post-1991 → Market + Planning hybrid

2015 → Planning Commission abolished

📜 Important Institutional Changes

1969 → Bank nationalisation

1991 → LPG reforms

2015 → NITI Aayog replaces Planning Commission

🧠 Ultra-Simple Memory Ladder

1 = Food

2 = Steel

3 = Self-reliance

4 = Equality

5 = Poverty

8 = Liberalisation era

11 = Inclusive

12 = Sustainable

🎯 For Prelims

Remember:

Mahalanobis → 2nd Plan

Garibi Hatao → 5th Plan

Inclusive Growth → 11th

Sustainable Growth → 12th