List of all Five Year Plans in India
- The process of formation of the five-year plan was began with the setting of the Planning Commission in March 1950.
- The five-year plan was introduced by Joseph Stalin in the USSR in 1928 during the British rule in India.
- The first five- year plan was introduced in 1951 during the then Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru. Since then, India has seen twelve five-year plans (Note: The Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairman of Planning Commission).
- The main aim is to promote significant rise in the live standard of people by proper use of resources of the country, offering opportunities to all the employment in the service, increasing production.
- However, the present Modi led government had discontinued the Five-year plan and replaced by a new policy think tank called NITI Aayog.
- In this article, we will have a look at all the Five-Year Plans & objectives that the nation has witnessed so far. List of all Five Year Plans in India
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List of all Five Year Plans in India
First Five-Year Plan (1951-56)
- The first five-year plan was launched in 1951 under the chairmanship of first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru.
- This plan is based on the Harrod-Domar strategy.
- This plan was successful and achieved a growth rate of 3.6% (more than its target of 2.1%).
Objectives
- Irrigation projects like Mettur Dam, Hirakud Dam, Bhakra Dam started during this period.
- At the end of this plan, UGC’s and 5 IITs were set up in the country.
Second Five-Year Plan (1956- 1961)
- This plan based on the Nehru-Mahalanobis model.
- The main focus of this plan was Industrial development in the country.
- This plan failed to achieve its target growth of 4.5% and achieved growth of 4.27%.
Objective
- During this plan, 5 steel plants were set up.
- Hydroelectric Power Plant were set up.
- Increase in number of Railway tracks , Atomic Energy Commission were set up.
- Improvement in the production of coal.
Third Five-Year Plan (1961-66)
- This plan is also called ‘Gadgil Yojana’, after the Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission D.R. Gadgil.
- It was formulated with the prime focus on Agriculture (production of wheat).
- Targeted growth rate was 5.6% of GDP but achieve a growth rate of 2.2% of GDP.
- During the execution of this plan, India was engaged in two wars: (1) the Sino-India war of 1962 and (2) the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 resulting in the weakness of Indian economy.
Objective
- Establishment of Primary Schools in rural areas.
- Commencement of Panchayat election.
Note: Due to the failure of the previous plan, the government announced three annual plans called Plan Holidays (from 1966 to 1967, 1967–68, and 1968–69).
Fourth Five-Year Plan (1969-74)
- This plan was initially focused towards development of country’s industrial sector.
- Final draft was prepared by DP Dhar.
- Successfully performed its first nuclear test (1974).
- Targeted growth rate was 5.7% but actual achieved growth rate was 3.3% of GDP.
Objective
- Initialization of Green Revolution in India.
- 14 Indian Banks were nationalized.
- Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and the Bangladesh Liberation War took place.
Fifth Five-Year Plan (1974-79)
- It was mainly focused on the: 1) Alleviation of poverty (Garibi Hatao) and employment in country 2) Increased in agricultural and defence products.
- Targeted growth rate was 4.4% of GDP but achieved growth rate was 5.5% of GDP.
- Introduction of national highway system and electricity supply act (1975).
Note: The period from 1979-80 is referred as the annual plan/ rolling plan and was coined by Gunnar Myrdal.
- It was brought out by Janata Party Government under Morarji Desai in 1978.
- This plan was rejected by the Indian National Congress government in 1980 and a new Sixth Plan was made.
Sixth Five-Year Plan (1980-85)
- This plan was introduced under the chairmanship of Indira Gandhi.
- Introduced the concept of family planning in India.
- Introduction of the Indian currency.
- Transport and communication system were improved.
- Its growth target was 5.2% but it achieved a 5.7% growth.
Objective
- The basic objective of this plan was economic liberalization by eradicating poverty and achieving technological self-reliance.
Seventh Five-Year Plan (1985-89)
- Primary focused on 1) production of food grains 2) employment generation 3) economic productivity.
- Special care was taken to spread education among girls.
- Targeted growth rate was 5% of GDP and achieved growth rate of 5.7% of GDP.
Eighth Five-Year Plan (1992-97)
- This plan was focused on technical development.
- It focused on the women empowerment through Panchayati Raj Institutions.
- Target growth rate was 56% of GDP but actual growth rate was 6.78% of GDP.
- India received a coveted opportunity to become a member of World Trade Organization (WTO) on 1st January 1995.
Objective
- Basic objective of this plan was modernization of industrial sector.
Ninth Five-Year Plan (1997-2002)
- The plan was introduced under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
- This plan failed to achieve the growth target of 6.5% and achieved a growth rate of 5.6%.
Objective
- The main objective of this plan was “Growth with Social Justice and Equality.”
Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002-07)
- This plan was introduced under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee & Manmohan Singh.
- Schooling should be completed for children.
- All main rivers should be cleaned up between 2007 & 2012.
- Its growth target was 8.0% but its actual growth rate was 7.6%.
Objective
- Mian objectives was higher female literacy rate.
Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-12)
- The plan was introduced under the leadership of Manmohan Singh.
- Target growth rate was 9% but achieved a growth rate of 8%.
Objective
- Its main objective was “rapid and more inclusive growth.”
Twelfth Five-Year Plan (2012-17)
- Aim to renew Indian economy & improving the facilities of education, sanitation and health.
- The UID (Unique Identification Number) will act as a platform for cash transfer.
- This plan aim of reducing poverty in India by 10%.
Objective
- The main objective was “Faster, Sustainable, and More Inclusive Growth.”
Note: After 2017, the plan was discontinued by the Modi cabinet and it was replaced by the NITI Aayog. making the twelfth plan as the last Five-Year Plan in India.
Important Points to Note
- India adopted “Mixed Economy” in the Second Five Year Plan.
- India adopted “Garibi Hatao” (Poverty) in the Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-78).
- India adopted “Industrial Plan” in the Second Five Year Plan (1956-61).
- India focused “Women Empowerment” in the Eighth Five Year Plan (1990-95). List of all Five Year Plans in India (1951- 2023)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Q1) what was the aim of the five-year in India?
Ans. The main aim is to promote significant rise in the live standard of people by proper use of resources of the country, offering opportunities to all the employment in the service, increasing production.
Q2) Who is the father of five-year plan?
Ans. The five-year plan was introduced by Joseph Stalin in the USSR in 1928.
Q3) What is the 6th five year plan?
Ans. The 6th five-year plan was introduced in 1980-85 under the chairmanship of Indira Gandhi.
- Introduced the concept of family planning in India.
- Introduction of the Indian currency.
- Transport and communication system were improved.
- Its growth target was 5.2% but it achieved a 5.7% growth.
Q4) What is the 12th five year plan in india ?
Ans. The 12th five- year plan was introduced in 2012-17.
- Aim to renew Indian economy & improving the facilities of education, sanitation and health.
- The UID (Unique Identification Number) will act as a platform for cash transfer.
- This plan aim of reducing poverty in India by 10%.