Five Year Plans — Set 10

Correct Answer: A. Agricultural Development

• **Agricultural Development** = The First Five Year Plan primarily focused on the development of the agricultural sector to address acute food shortages after Partition. • **44% outlay for agriculture** — It allocated nearly 44% of its total outlay to agriculture, irrigation, and community development projects. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Foreign Trade: foreign trade was not the primary goal of the First Five Year Plan; Industrialization: heavy industrialisation became the focus only in the Second Plan; Education: while education was included in the First Plan, the dominant focus was agriculture.

Correct Answer: C. National Development Council

• **National Development Council** = The National Development Council (NDC) was the apex body that gave final approval to five-year plans. • **Established 6 August 1952** — It included the PM, all Union Cabinet Ministers, and Chief Ministers of all states. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: NITI Aayog: NITI Aayog replaced the Planning Commission in 2015 and does not approve five-year plans; RBI Board: the RBI Board manages monetary policy, not plan approvals; Finance Commission: it recommends tax revenue sharing between Centre and states, not plan approvals.

Correct Answer: B. 1966-1969

• **1966-1969** = The Plan Holiday (1966-1969) was a three-year period when the five-year planning cycle was suspended and annual plans were implemented. • **Three consecutive annual plans** — Three annual plans were implemented as economic crises and war debts made a full five-year plan unviable. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: 1961-1966: this was the period of the Third Five Year Plan, not the Plan Holiday; 1974-1979: this was the scheduled period of the Fifth Five Year Plan; 1990-1992: this saw two Annual Plans due to the balance of payments crisis, which is a separate event from the Plan Holiday.

Correct Answer: B. Eleventh Plan

• **Eleventh Plan** = The Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012) formally adopted 'Towards Faster and More Inclusive Growth' as its core objective. • **Balanced regional and social growth** — It focused on making economic growth more balanced across social groups, regions, and economic sectors. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Ninth Plan: the Ninth Plan focused on 'Growth with Social Justice and Equality'; Tenth Plan: the Tenth Plan focused on doubling per capita income; Eighth Plan: it focused on LPG reforms and human resource development.

Correct Answer: A. Arvind Panagariya

• **Arvind Panagariya** = Arvind Panagariya was appointed the first Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog in January 2015. • **Served 2015-2017** — He is a prominent Indian-American economist who served until August 2017 when Rajiv Kumar succeeded him as Vice-Chairman. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Amitabh Kant: he served as CEO of NITI Aayog, not Vice-Chairman; Rajiv Kumar: he became the second Vice-Chairman in 2017, after Panagariya's departure; Bimal Jalan: he served as RBI Governor from 1997-2003, not as Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog.

Correct Answer: B. USSR

• **USSR** = The concept of centralised five-year economic planning was borrowed from the Soviet Union (USSR). • **Nehru admired Soviet success** — Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister, was greatly influenced by the Soviet model's rapid industrialisation through state-led planning. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: USA: the USA follows free-market capitalism and does not use centralised five-year plans; Germany: Germany follows a social market economy, not the Soviet-style centralised planning adopted by India; UK: the UK uses indicative planning but did not provide the planning model India adopted.

Correct Answer: A. Seventh Plan

• **Seventh Plan** = The Seventh Five Year Plan (1985-1990) focused on 'Food, Work and Productivity' as its central themes. • **6% growth rate recorded** — This plan achieved an average growth rate of 6% against a 5% target, driven by gains in agriculture and small-scale industries. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Ninth Plan: the Ninth Plan focused on 'Growth with Social Justice and Equality'; Eighth Plan: the Eighth Plan focused on LPG reforms and human resource development; Sixth Plan: the Sixth Plan focused on poverty alleviation through IRDP.

Correct Answer: B. Fifth Plan

• **Fifth Plan** = The Minimum Needs Programme (MNP) was launched during the Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-78) to provide basic minimum services to all citizens. • **Seven basic services** — It provided rural health, education, water supply, roads, electrification, housing for the poor, and nutrition to the masses. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Fourth Plan: the MNP was introduced in the Fifth Plan, not the Fourth; Sixth Plan: the Sixth Plan expanded the MNP but did not launch it; Third Plan: the Third Plan aimed at self-reliance but did not launch the MNP.

Correct Answer: A. Eighth Plan

• **Eighth Plan** = The Eighth Five Year Plan (1992-1997) achieved a growth rate of 6.8% against a target of 5.6%, surpassing its goal. • **6.8% achieved vs 5.6% target** — This exceptional performance was driven by economic liberalisation and private sector expansion following the 1991 reforms. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Tenth Plan: the Tenth Plan achieved about 7.8% growth; Seventh Plan: the Seventh Plan achieved approximately 6% growth; Ninth Plan: the Ninth Plan achieved about 5.5% growth.

Correct Answer: B. Twelfth Plan

• **Twelfth Plan** = The Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017) adopted 'Faster, More Inclusive and Sustainable Growth' as its objective. • **Final plan, NITI Aayog replaced it** — It was the final plan before the shift to the NITI Aayog framework with a 15-year vision and 3-year action agenda. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Ninth Plan: the Ninth Plan focused on 'Growth with Social Justice and Equality'; Eleventh Plan: it was titled 'Towards Faster and More Inclusive Growth' without 'Sustainable'; Tenth Plan: the Tenth Plan focused on doubling per capita income.