Politics in India since Independence a five year basis as per the priorities fixed by the plan. A five year plan has the advantage of permitting the government to focus on the larger picture and make long-term intervention in the economy. The draft of the First Five Year Plan and then the actual Plan Document, released in December , generated a lot of excitement in the country. People from all walks of life – academics, journalists, government and private sector employees, industrialists, farmers, politicians etc.
– discussed and debated the documents extensively. The excitement with planning reached its peak with the launching of the Second Five Year Plan in and continued somewhat till the Third Five Year Plan in . The Fourth Plan was due to start in . By this time, the novelty of planning had declined considerably, and moreover, India was facing acute economic crisis.
The government decided to take a ‘plan holiday’. Though many criticisms emerged both about the process and the priorities of these plans, the foundation of India’s economic development was firmly in place by then. Credit: Sudhir Dar/UNDP and Planning Commission First Five Year Plan document