India has emerged as a super power. The transition was not easy. Guidelines for operating the economy was provided by the five year plans.
The 1st five year plan was presented by Jawaharlal Nehru, who was the Prime Minister during that period. It was formulated for the execution of various plans between 1951 to 1956. The Planning Commission was responsible for working out the plan.
Objectives of the 1st five year plan(1951 to 1961):
The primary aim of the 1st five year plan was to improve living standards of the people of India. This could be done by making judicious use of India's natural resources. The total outlay of the 1st five year plan was worth Rs.2,069 crore. This amount was assigned to different sectors which included:
Industrial sector
Energy, Irrigation
Transport, Communications
Land rehabilitation
Social services
Development of agriculture and community
Miscellaneous issues
The target set for the growth in the gross domestic product was 2.1percent every year. In reality, the
actual achieved with regard to gross domestic product was 3.6 percent per annum. This is a clear indication of the success of the 1st five year plan.
Some important events that took place during the tenure of the 1st five year plan:
The following Irrigation projects were started during that period:
Mettur Dam
Hirakud Dam
Bhakra Dam.
The government had taken steps to rehabilitate the landless workers, whose main occupation was agriculture. These workers were also granted fund for experimenting and undergoing training in agricultural know how in various cooperative institutions. Soil conservation, was also given considerable importance.
The Indian government also made considerable effort in improving posts and telegraphs, railway services, road tracks, civil aviation.
Sufficient fund was also allocated for the industrial sector. In addition measures were taken for the growth of the small scale industries.