Five Year Plans
Take a look at the following summarised table consolidating all the five year plans:
| Plan | Period | Target Growth | Actual Growth | Main Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1951-1956 | 2.1% | 3.6% | Based on Harrod Domar Model; focused on Agriculture, land reforms, price stability, power and transport |
| 2 | 1956-1961 | 4.5% | 4.3% | Mahalanobis model; focused on rapid industrialisation: heavy and basic industries; huge imports-foreign loans; Steel plants, AEC, TIFR; Shortage of Forex: deficit Financing |
| 3 | 1961-1966 | 5.6% | 2.8% | Aim for self-reliant and self-generating economy; agriculture top priority; Panchayat Elections; State Electricity Board; Unforeseen events |
| — | 1966-69 | — | — | Agriculture, food shortage; Green Revolution: HYV Seeds; Banks Nationalisation |
| 4 | 1969-1974 | 5.7% | 3.3% | Objective: growth with stability, progressive achievement of self-reliance; growth of agriculture to enable other sectors to move forward; Bangladeshi Refugee crisis; Pokhran Test |
| 5 | 1974-1979 | 4.4% | 4.8% | Objective: Garibi Hatao and Self-reliance; national Program of Minimum Needs; |
| 6 | 1980-1985 | 5.2% | 5.7% | Change from Nehruvian model; aimed at IT sector, tourism; Focused on National Income, technology, poverty, unemployment, Introduction of Economic Liberalisation; Family Planning |
| 7 | 1985-1989 | 5.0% | 6.0% | Aimed to upgrade industrial sector; emphasis on employment generation; Food Production; WTO Agreement |
| 8 | 1992-1997 | 5.6% | 6.8% | Introduction of fiscal & economic reforms including liberalisation; Outcomes: rapid economic growth , agriculture, manufacturing sector, exports and imports, improvement in trade and current account deficit. |
| 9 | 1997-2002 | 6.5% | 5.4% | Focus on Growth With Social Justice & Equality; aimed to depend predominantly on the private sector; priority to agriculture & rural development |
| 10 | 2002-2007 | 8.0% | 7.6% | Focused on following targets besides economic growth: gender gaps; Infant & maternal mortality rates; literacy, drinking water, cleaning of rivers, etc.; involvement of PRIs, Compulsory schooling for children |
| 11 | 2007-2012 | 9.0% | 8.0% | Aimed at “Towards Faster & More Inclusive Growth ; environmental sustainability; other targets more or less same as above. |
| 12 | 2012-2017 | 8.0% | – | Aimed at Faster, Sustainable, and More Inclusive Growth’. Targets same as previous |
Now, let’s discuss them one by one:
📝 First Five-Year Plan (1951–1956)
📈 Target Growth: 2.1% ✅ Achieved Growth: 3.6%
🧠 Based On: Harrod-Domar Model (focused on savings and investment to drive growth)
🔍 Context of the Time:
When India launched its first Five-Year Plan, the situation was quite fragile:
- A massive refugee crisis post-Partition
- Food shortages and price instability
- Inflation was spiraling due to supply disruptions
So, naturally, the goal wasn’t lofty industrial expansion. It was more about stabilization, rehabilitation, and food security.
🎯 Primary Objective:
“Raise the standard of living of the people by judicious use of natural resources.”
In other words, the focus was on the basics: food, farming, and fundamental infrastructure.
🏗️ Key Focus Areas:
1. Agriculture First Approach
- Recognized that India was still an agrarian economy, with most people dependent on farming.
- Emphasis was on increasing food production, land reforms, and cooperative farming.
2. Major Irrigation Projects
Some iconic dam projects were initiated:
- Bhakra-Nangal Dam (Himachal/Punjab)
- Hirakud Dam (Odisha)
- Mettur Dam (Tamil Nadu)
These were the pillars of India’s future Green Revolution.
3. Soil Conservation & Training
- Soil erosion, deforestation, and land degradation were tackled.
- Training and funds were provided to landless laborers through cooperative institutions.
4. Infrastructure & Connectivity
- Improvements in Posts & Telegraphs, Railways, Roads, and Civil Aviation
- Development of small-scale industries for employment generation.
✅ Successes:
- Plan overshot its growth target due to good monsoons in later years.
- Goals of refugee rehabilitation, price stabilization, and food sufficiency were largely met.
📝 Second Five-Year Plan (1956–1961)
📈 Target Growth: 4.5% 📉 Actual Growth: 4.3%
🧠 Based On: Mahalanobis Model (1953) – Focused on heavy industries and capital goods
🔍 Context of the Time:
By the mid-1950s, India had stabilized economically. Food production had improved, inflation was under control, and the government now aimed higher — industrial self-reliance.
🎯 Primary Objective:
“Rapid industrialization with emphasis on heavy and basic industries.”
This shift was ideological as well — towards building a socialistic pattern of society (as formalized in the Industrial Policy of 1956).
🏗️ Key Features:
1. Mahalanobis Model of Planning
- Designed by P.C. Mahalanobis, a statistician and Nehru’s advisor
- Stressed investment in capital goods industries (like steel, machines, infrastructure)
- Belief: Build core industries first; consumer goods will follow automatically
2. Public Sector Expansion
- The Plan emphasized state-led industrial growth
- Boosted public sector undertakings (PSUs) like steel plants, mining, and energy
3. Heavy Industry Development
- New steel plants at Bhilai, Durgapur, Rourkela (with help from USSR, UK, West Germany)
- Rapid expansion of hydroelectric and thermal power plants
- Focus on coal production and mineral resource development
4. Institution Building
- Atomic Energy Commission (1957) – to kickstart India’s nuclear ambitions
- Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) – talent pool for scientific progress
- Birth of technical education institutions and scientific research infrastructure
5. Transport Expansion
- Especially in Northeast India, with new railway lines to connect remote areas
⚠️ Challenges and Shortfalls:
- Huge imports of machinery and technology → Forex reserves depleted
- Start of deficit financing → inflation of nearly 30% during the Plan period
- Agriculture was neglected, causing concern in subsequent years
The plan was conceptually ambitious but financially overburdened.
🎯 Outcome:
- Achieved moderate success — industries expanded, but the economy overheated
- Exposed the vulnerability of ignoring agriculture and over-reliance on imports
📝 Third Five-Year Plan (1961–1966)
🎯 Target Growth: 5.6% 📉 Actual Growth: 2.8%
🎓 Motto: “Self-reliant and self-generating economy”
🧠 Contextual Backdrop: Optimism and ambition — India believed it had entered the “take-off stage” of development (as per Rostow’s model)
🔍 Background and Objectives:
After two planning cycles, Indian planners felt that the basic foundation of the economy had been laid — it was now time to move towards self-sustained growth.
Thus, the primary aim of the Third Plan was to:
Build a self-reliant economy, capable of generating internal surpluses and supporting its own industrialization.
🌾 Agriculture at the Forefront
- Learnings from earlier plans had shown that agriculture was the real constraint.
- Hence, agriculture was given top priority, even as industrial development continued.
- The aim was to boost food production to support both exports and industrial raw materials.
This approach anticipated the coming Green Revolution — although initially it was not part of the Plan.
⚔️ Disruptive Events: External & Internal Shocks
🟥 1962: Sino-Indian War
- Major budgetary diversion toward defence expenditure
- Triggered cost-push inflation — prices of essential commodities rose sharply
🟥 1965: Indo-Pak War
- Further military burden on the economy
- Shift in national focus from “development” to “defence & development”
🟥 1965–66: Severe Drought
- Agricultural failure and food shortage
- Highlighted the need for agricultural modernization, leading to the launch of Green Revolution
🏗️ Sectoral Achievements:
Despite setbacks, some important developments occurred:
✅ Dams and Infrastructure
- Many new dams and irrigation projects (continuation from the earlier plans)
- Boost to hydroelectric generation and irrigated agriculture
✅ Fertilizer and Cement Plants
- Key input sectors like fertilizers and cement saw new units established
✅ Wheat Boom in Punjab
- Use of HYV (High-Yielding Variety) seeds in Punjab laid the base for Green Revolution success in coming years
🧑🏫 Social Sector Initiatives:
- Greater decentralization: States were entrusted with more responsibility, especially for infrastructure
- Primary schools in rural areas and bodies for secondary education were promoted
- Launch of Panchayat elections to deepen democratic roots
- Creation of State Electricity Boards and expansion of rural roads
⚠️ Why the Third Plan Failed to Meet Targets:
- External conflicts: Wars with China (1962) and Pakistan (1965)
- Severe drought of 1965–66 caused crop failures and economic distress
- Price rise and deficit financing weakened macroeconomic stability
➡️ Outcome: Shift in policy from optimistic development to realistic crisis management
📝Three Annual Plans (1966–1969) — The “Plan Holiday”
🧭 Why Plan Holiday?
- Failure of the Third Plan
- Devaluation of rupee in 1966 to boost exports
- A scenario of “inflationary recession” – rising prices + stagnating output
- Political instability and lack of long-term policy clarity
➡️ Therefore, instead of launching the Fourth FYP, the government introduced three short-term Annual Plans.
🌾 Focus: Agriculture First
The biggest concern: Food insecurity
So, during these three years, India adopted a new agricultural strategy:
⚙️ Birth of the Green Revolution
Key Elements:
- Spread of High-Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds
- Massive push for chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and mechanization
- Exploitation of irrigation potential (via dams, canals, tubewells)
- Soil conservation and extension services to train farmers
These strategies laid the technical and institutional groundwork for India’s self-sufficiency in food grains.
💼 Institutional Milestone:
- 1969: Nationalization of 14 Major Banks
- Aimed at aligning the financial system with development goals
- Facilitated credit access for agriculture, small industry, and rural areas
- Symbolic of the State’s proactive economic role
🔁 Outcome of Annual Plans:
- Helped stabilize the economy and absorb the shocks of previous years
- Prepared the ground for a long-term vision in the form of the Fourth FYP
- Restored confidence in planning as a meaningful strategy
📝 Fourth Five-Year Plan (1969–1974)
🎯 Target Growth: 5.7% 📉 Actual Growth: 3.3%
Theme: “Growth with Stability” and “Self-Reliance”
🔍 Backdrop: Why ‘Stability’ and ‘Self-Reliance’?
The Indo-Pak war of 1965 exposed India’s vulnerability:
- Allies refused to supply critical raw materials and equipment
- This shook India’s dependence on external aid
➡️ Hence, the plan emphasized self-sufficiency and economic resilience
🌾 Agriculture Again Took Centre Stage
- Good monsoons in the first two years brought record food grain production
- Green Revolution technologies started spreading
- But the last three years suffered due to poor rainfall, price instability, and external disruptions
⚠️ Major Challenges:
- Bangladesh Liberation War (1971)
- Massive influx of refugees from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)
- Strain on resources, economy, and administration
- Rising Inflation
- Prices shot up, especially for food and essentials
- The plan’s goals became difficult to pursue
- Nuclear Assertion
- 1974 Pokhran Nuclear Test (Smiling Buddha) marked India’s nuclear capability
- Reflected the emphasis on self-reliance in strategic sectors
📉 Outcome:
- Plan failed to meet its targets due to external wars, refugee crisis, and monsoon failure
- However, it sowed seeds for long-term food security, energy autonomy, and strategic independence
📝 Fifth Five-Year Plan (1974–1979)
🎯 Target Growth: 4.4% ✅ Actual Growth: 4.8%
Theme: Garibi Hatao (Removal of Poverty) & Self-Reliance
🔍 Backdrop: Global Economic Crisis
- 1973–74: Oil Price Shock due to OPEC embargo
- Food prices skyrocketed globally
- India’s economy suffered import shocks and domestic inflation
🎯 Main Objectives:
- Garibi Hatao – Aligning with Indira Gandhi’s political slogan
- Self-Reliance – Reduce dependency on foreign aid
- Better income distribution and higher domestic savings
🧩 Key Features:
- Drafted by D.P. Dhar amidst economic uncertainty
- Emphasis on food & energy security
- Government’s wheat trade nationalization failed, worsening inflation
- Launch of Minimum Needs Programme:
- Rural education, safe drinking water
- Primary healthcare
- Rural roads, electrification
- Land distribution to landless labourers
🛑 Midway Shift:
- Emergency (1975–77): Plan implementation shifted to 20-Point Programme
- Focused on population control, land reforms, literacy, and anti-corruption
- Janata Party came to power in 1977 and scrapped the Plan in 1978
🔄 Rolling Plan (1978–1980)
🗓️ A short interlude between the 5th and 6th FYPs
Proposed Duration: 1978–1983 (by Janata Govt)
🎯 Why Rolling Plan?
Janata Govt. rejected Nehruvian model:
- Criticized it for causing inequality, concentration of power, and poverty
- Focused on employment generation, decentralization, and self-sufficiency
But the plan couldn’t proceed:
- The government fell in 1980
- Congress returned and scrapped the plan
➡️ Janata Plan remained half-implemented, but its themes influenced future employment programs
📝 Sixth Five-Year Plan (1980–1985)
🎯 Target Growth: 5.2% ✅ Actual Growth: 5.7%
Theme: Poverty Alleviation + Modernization + Liberalization (early signals)
📌 Context:
- Back to Congress rule under Indira Gandhi, later Rajiv Gandhi
- Need to revive economic credibility after unstable 1970s
🎯 Plan Goals:
- Increase National Income
- Technology Modernization
- Reduce Poverty and Unemployment
- Expand Infrastructure and Services
🛠️ Key Schemes & Sectors:
✅ Poverty Alleviation Schemes:
- IRDP: Integrated Rural Development Programme
- NREP: National Rural Employment Programme
- TRYSEM: Training for Rural Youth for Self-Employment
✅ Infrastructure & Connectivity:
- Highways constructed, existing roads upgraded
- Boost to transport and communication
✅ Tourism & Foreign Exchange:
- Devaluation of rupee encouraged tourism
- Tourism industry grew, aiding forex inflow
✅ Technology and Industry:
- Focus on electronics, IT, and telecom
- Encouraged private sector participation
- Opened mild gates to liberalization — marking a shift from state-control
📉 Challenges:
- Inflation due to price deregulation
- Rationing discontinued → rise in prices
- Family Planning (especially forced sterilization during Emergency) had low acceptance, especially in rural India
✅ Overall Assessment:
- The Plan was relatively successful
- Paved way for economic modernization, rural employment schemes, and emerging liberal economic idea
📝Seventh Five-Year Plan (1985–1989)
🎯 Target Growth: 5.0% ✅ Actual Growth: 6.0%
Theme: “Towards Accelerated Growth, Social Justice, and Self-Reliance”
🧭 Context:
The 7th Plan built upon the strong foundation laid by the 6th Plan:
- Inflation had been moderated
- Agricultural and industrial output had grown
- Basic infrastructure was improving
In short, India was poised for take-off after escaping the stagnation of the “Hindu Rate of Growth”
🎯 Objectives and Priorities:
The Plan aimed to:
- Accelerate industrial and agricultural growth
- Reduce poverty and unemployment
- Ensure social justice, particularly for the weaker sections
- Introduce modern technology into production processes
- Strengthen the foundation for economic self-reliance
🌱 Key Focus Areas:
➡️ It pursued a balanced approach between growth and equity, and between modernization and employment generation.
| Sector | Key Interventions |
|---|---|
| Agriculture | – Food self-sufficiency – Assistance to both small and large farmers – Boost in fertilizer use, irrigation & HYV seeds |
| Industry | – Expansion of energy production – Promotion of small-scale industries – Technological upgradation |
| Social Justice | – Programs for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other marginalized groups – Basic needs: food, shelter, clothing |
| Employment | – Goal to create 4% employment growth annually – Labour force expected to rise by 39 million |
| Technology & Trade | – Push for modern tech adoption – Global linkages strengthened (e.g., WTO Agreement signed in 1986) |
🏁 Achievements:
- Exceeded its target with 6% growth
- Employment rose substantially
- Initiated departure from the sluggish Hindu Rate of Growth
- Created fertile ground for the reforms of the 1990s
🔑 Key Takeaway: The 7th Plan is seen as a turning point, where India began showing signs of a more dynamic economy driven by technology, social commitment, and macroeconomic stability.
📝Eighth Five-Year Plan (1992–1997)
🎯 Target Growth: 5.6% ✅ Actual Growth: 6.8%
Theme: “Economic Reform with Social Justice”
🧭 Context:
The Plan was delayed by two years due to political instability.
In the interim (1990–1992):
- Balance of Payment crisis
- Skyrocketing fiscal deficit
- Fall in foreign exchange reserves (barely enough for two weeks of imports)
- Rising debt and inflation
➡️ India was on the verge of economic collapse
This crisis triggered structural reforms under P. V. Narasimha Rao and Dr. Manmohan Singh, ushering in Liberalisation, Privatisation, and Globalisation (LPG)
🎯 Major Objectives:
- Stabilise the economy
- Introduce market reforms
- Reduce fiscal deficit and foreign debt
- Foster rapid, inclusive growth
🔄 Key Economic Reforms Introduced:
- Liberalisation: End of industrial licensing (except for strategic sectors)
- Privatisation: Disinvestment in public sector enterprises
- Globalisation: Greater openness to trade and foreign investment
➡️ Shift from centralized state planning to market-oriented planning
➡️ The role of the private sector expanded significantly
🧩 Major Focus Areas:
| Area | Focus |
|---|---|
| Human Development | Emphasis on health, education, and population control |
| Industrial Modernization | Tech upgrade, easing industrial norms |
| Population Policy | Family planning and reproductive health |
| Trade & Finance | Improve current account, reduce deficits |
🏆 Key Achievements:
- India joined WTO in 1995 → Greater integration with the global economy
- Growth rate of 6.8% — highest among all plans till then
- Surge in exports, imports, and industrial production
- Agriculture also grew steadily
- Private sector share in investment increased substantially (public sector fell to ~34%)
🧠 Conceptual Shifts:
- Earlier plans followed a state-driven, command economy model
- Eighth Plan marked the ideological shift to a liberalised, mixed economy model
- Planning itself began to take on a facilitative role, rather than a controlling one
📝 Ninth Five-Year Plan (1997–2002)
🎯 Target Growth: 6.5% 📊 Actual Growth: 5.4%
Theme: “Growth with Social Justice and Equality”
📌 Context:
India had just completed 50 years of independence, and this Plan coincided with a moment of introspection:
“Where do we stand economically, socially, and developmentally, and what do we aspire to become?”
It was also the period of coalition governments, with the United Front Government leading the planning process.
🎯 Key Objectives:
- Utilize untapped economic potential — both domestic and global
- Achieve social justice and equity
- Empower rural India, especially through agriculture and employment
- Encourage private and foreign sector participation in development
- Shift government role from controller to facilitator, especially in infrastructure and social services
🛠️ Structural Features of the Plan:
| Area | Planning Direction |
|---|---|
| Agriculture | Core priority – not just food security, but rural employment generation |
| Private Sector | Domestic + FDI encouraged for industrial, infrastructure growth |
| Government’s Role | Focus on social sector: education, health, poverty eradication |
| Poverty Focus | Employment generation was seen as a direct tool of poverty reduction |
📉 Performance & Challenges:
- Though the intent was progressive, performance was below expectations
- Political instability led to inconsistent implementation
- Growth was hampered by:
- Global slowdown (Asian Financial Crisis, 1997)
- Domestic fiscal pressures
- Natural calamities
📝 Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002–2007)
🎯 Target Growth: 8.0% 📊 Actual Growth: 7.6%
Theme: “Faster Growth with Inclusive Development”
📌 Context:
By early 2000s:
- Reforms were entrenched
- Private sector was more confident
- Globalisation was reshaping the Indian economy
But there was growing concern:
Is India growing only quantitatively and leaving behind the poor, women, and marginalized?
🧭 Planning Philosophy:
This was the first plan that went beyond GDP targets.
✅ 11 Monitorable Targets were set for human development, covering:
- Health
- Literacy
- Gender equality
- Drinking water
- River cleaning
- Employment
- Environmental sustainability
➡️ This was a shift from input-based planning to outcome-based planning
🧩 Major Development Goals:
| Goal | Key Milestone (By 2007) |
|---|---|
| Literacy | Raise it to 75% |
| Gender Equity | Halve wage and literacy gaps |
| Child Mortality | Reduce to 45 per 1000 live births |
| Maternal Mortality | Bring down to 2 per 1000 live births |
| Afforestation | Raise forest/tree cover to 25% |
| Drinking Water | Universal access in rural areas |
| Poverty | Reduce by 5 percentage points |
| Compulsory Education | All children to complete 5 years of schooling |
| Employment | Generate high-quality livelihood opportunities |
| Population Growth | Reduce decadal growth to 16.2% (2001–11) |
| River Pollution | Clean up major rivers between 2007–2012 |
🌾 Agriculture and Panchayati Raj:
- Agriculture declared as “prime mover” of the economy
- Greater role of States in planning and target-setting
- Panchayati Raj Institutions were to be the implementation arms for rural development
🧠 Conceptual Insights:
- A regionally decentralized approach was attempted:
“Let each state develop its own vision within the national framework.”
- Planning tried to become holistic and participatory, combining:
- Economic growth
- Governance
- Sustainability
- Social development
📊 Achievements & Legacy:
- Almost achieved the ambitious 8% growth target (actual 7.6%)
- Literacy rose
- Poverty dropped (although NSSO data controversies remain)
- Greater clarity emerged around what inclusive growth should mean
📝 11th Five-Year Plan (2007–2012)
🎯 Target Growth: 9.0% 📊 Actual Growth: ~8.0%
Theme: “Towards Faster and More Inclusive Growth”
📌 Context:
By 2007, India had become one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
But there was a paradox:
“We are growing fast — but not everyone is included.”
There was rising concern over:
- Persistent poverty in some groups (especially SCs, STs, minorities)
- Malnutrition, dropouts, and lack of access to basic services
Hence, inclusiveness became the central theme.
🧭 Vision & Strategy:
The Plan was guided by a multi-dimensional vision:
| Focus Area | Goals |
|---|---|
| ✅ Growth | Maintain high economic growth |
| ✅ Equity | Ensure social justice and equal opportunity |
| ✅ Empowerment | Inclusive development via employment (MGNREGA) |
| ✅ Basic Services | Universal access to education, health, drinking water |
| ✅ Infrastructure | Expand roads, telecom, power, internet |
| ✅ Sustainability | Environmentally balanced development |
| ✅ Gender Equality | Close gaps in literacy, wages, health |
🎯 Specific Targets (many were aligned with Millennium Development Goals – MDGs):
- 📉 Poverty: Reduce headcount ratio by 10%
- 📈 Employment: < 5% unemployment among educated youth
- 🎓 Dropout Rate: Reduce significantly at primary & secondary level
- 🚺 Gender Literacy Gap: Halve it
- 👶 Infant Mortality Rate: Reduce drastically
- 👩👧 Malnutrition (0–3 yrs): Halve current levels
- 🌲 Forest Cover: Expand + improve air quality
- ⚡ Electricity to all villages & BPL homes
- 🛣️ All-weather roads to all habitations >1000 (or >500 in hills)
- 📞 Broadband/Telephone to every village by 2012
📉 Performance:
- Initial years saw excellent growth: 9.3% (2007–08)
- Then came the 2008 Global Financial Crisis:
- 2008–09: Growth dropped to 6.7%
- Recovery: 8.6% (2009–10) and 9.3% (2010–11)
- Again slowed: 6.2% (2011–12) due to Eurozone crisis + domestic policy issues
Average Growth = 8.0% — below target but commendable given the global context.
📘 Summary of 11th Plan:
The Plan institutionalized inclusiveness as a planning priority — not just as rhetoric, but through measurable targets and social sector investments.
It marked a mature stage of planning — aware of economic needs, but mindful of social justice.
📝12th Five-Year Plan (2012–2017)
🎯 Target Growth: 9.0% 📊 Actual Growth: ~7.5% (average)
Theme: “Faster, More Inclusive, and Sustainable Growth”
📌 Context:
- Growth was strong but fluctuating
- Inclusion was improving but not enough
- Environmental degradation and resource mismanagement were emerging risks
The 12th Plan sought to integrate three goals:
- Speed (Faster growth)
- Fairness (More inclusive)
- Sustainability (Long-term and green growth)
🧠 Philosophy of the Plan:
| Principle | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Inclusive Development | Extend benefits of growth to marginalized |
| Sustainability | Minimize ecological harm |
| Institutional Reforms | Improve governance, accountability |
| Private + Public | Greater role of private investment, especially in infrastructure |
🎯 Key Focus Areas:
- 📉 Poverty: Reduce to below 20% by end of Plan
- 👩⚕️ Health: Universal health coverage, reduce MMR and IMR
- 👨🎓 Education: Raise enrolment, improve quality (RTE Act)
- 🌾 Agriculture: Growth of 4% with diversification and sustainability
- 🏭 Manufacturing: Raise sectoral share in GDP; employment-intensive growth
- 🛣️ Infrastructure: Big push to roads, railways, power, water
- 🌱 Environment: Green technologies, pollution control, disaster resilience
- 📈 Governance: Transparency, e-governance, citizen participation
📊 Performance:
- 2012–13: 5.5% growth
- 2013–14: 6.4%
- 2014–15 onwards: methodology change (new GDP base year), but average annual growth remained below 9% target
⚠️ Challenges Faced:
- Global volatility
- Domestic issues:
- Stalled projects
- Policy paralysis
- Bank NPAs rising
- Environmental bottlenecks
- Private investment lagging
🧠 Legacy of 12th Plan:
- Final Five-Year Plan before Planning Commission was abolished in 2014
- Gave rise to a new institutional approach:
- Planning Commission replaced by NITI Aayog (2015):
- From top-down planning → to bottom-up policy think tank
- From controlling resource allocation → to promoting cooperative federalism
- Planning Commission replaced by NITI Aayog (2015):