CURRENT FIVE

YEAR PLAN
(2012- 2017)
By- Sweety Gupta

 India at the time of independence was left with crippling

economy by British, which needed attention and well
planned strategies to boom again in the global market.
The Planning Commission was set up by a Resolution of
the Government of India in March 1950 in pursuance of
declared objectives of the Government to promote a
rapid rise in the standard of living of the people by
efficient exploitation of the resources of the country,
increasing production and offering opportunities to all for
employment in the service of the community.

 The Planning Commission was charged

with the responsibility of making
assessment of all resources of the
country, augmenting deficient resources,
formulating plans for the most effective
and balanced utilisation of resources and
determining priorities.

Five year plan objectives:

To deal with disparity of income and wealth
Govt. activism required for socially desirable activities with
available resources and foreign exchange
Govt. intervention required for development of infrastructure
Balanced regional development.

ECONOMIC GROWTH

In 12th five year plan, 9% GDP growth is expected. Higher

investment and fund mobilization will induce market development
and employment.
Well regulated and integrated markets would generate enough jobs
and live hood opportunities. Development through efficient capital
markets and public private partnership will further boost the
economy and thus may sustain the growth rate of 9 %.
Growth of a sector through PPP model would lead to
decentralization of economies and inclusion of various sectors, such
that a parallel economic development is induced from this multisectoral growth approach.

AGRICULTURE
India is now self dependent for domestic food demands as a result of
green revolution and previous five year plans. Rural economy growth
has to be enhanced by sustained agriculture growth and development
of rural areas by providing rural infrastructure and amenities.
A balanced regional development can be achieved through agrodependent sectors.

Innovative technologies and open-market economies would enhance

HDI of rural population. For all perishable products investments and
institutional development are more important than subsidies or price
support systems.
Forest economies and tribal societies need greater protection and
promotion

TRANSPORTATION

In order to attain an overall growth urban governance, urban

renewal, finance and urban transportation reforms should be
focused.
Adequate transport facilities would result in efficient distribution
network, thereby reducing in accessibility and consequently save
the cost involved. Improved connectivity would also help in
managing urbanization and reduction of migration in metro cities,
leading to development of small and medium town.
Energy efficient transport systems needs to be incorporated with
emphasis on eco-friendly and renewable resources.

ENVIRONMENT

With the fast pace of industrialisation, India is already loosing area

under forest cover rapidly. More human interventions will lead to
severe loss of habitat.
Environmental degradation and ecological imbalance are the two
aspects which result out of development initiatives at local and
global levels. Growth of economy without compromising on
environment is a key issue to be addressed as, sustainable growth
is essential now.
Technological advancement, equitable distribution, affordability
along with public awareness is major points of concern.

DECENTRALIZATION

Previous five years plans have faced the reluctance of public

participation.The 12th five year plan however talks about
decentralization, empowerment and information.
The policy making process should trickles down to the lowest level
of society and more people should have a say in the process.

Citizens should be well informed and more powers should be given

to the public to efficiently convey the issues by letting people know
their powers and rights.

TECHNOLOGY

Globalization has led to rapid industrialization and competition in the

market. Technological and organizational innovation will help to
enhance productivity and efficiency.
Technological innovations leads to faster results and organizational
innovation would help in efficient utilization of resources, facilitated
by providing incentives and tax subsidies.

HEALTH CARE

Healthcare conditions are improving in the country but its

affordability and accessibility is still an area to be focused on.
Curative and preventive healthcare would help in increasing general
quality of life.
Focus on women and children is essential but importance to
elderly class and handicaps in order to achieve inclusive healthcare
development is essential.
Shortage of qualified medical personnel at all levels is a major
hurdle in improving the outreach of the healthcare system,
especially the public health facilities

ENERGY

Energy being the wheel of growth has to be focused to ensure faster

and inclusive growth.
Dependency on traditional energy resources has to be reduced with
more emphasis on domestic renewable energy production.Use of Non
Renewable Sources of Energy being restricted to priority based
industries while promoting Non-Conventional Energy Resources for
rest of the sector.
Nuclear power program must continue, with necessary safety review.
Active efforts need to be made to allay the apprehensions of people
regarding the safety of nuclear power plants.
Solar mission is seriously underfunded and requires more support.
Wind power too requires greater support, especially for off-shore
locations which have not been sufficiently explored

EDUCATION

Education being a concerned sector in five year plans has to be now

emphasized more on accessibility, affordability and quality.
The employability is to be increased for optimum exploitation of
human resources. Improvement in educational infrastructure,
research and developments.
Vocational education will need to be given greater emphasis and
made more attractive. Skill Development needs a major focus at all
levels.

CONCLUSION
The economy will enter the 12th plan period in an environment of
great promise but also one that presents major challenges. India
has done well on the growth front, but not so well on inclusion. Much
of what needs to be done to accelerate GDP growth to 9% so will be
done by the private sector, but the central and state governments
have a crucial role to play in providing a policy environment that is
seen as investor friendly and is supportive of inclusive growth.
Finally, the efficiency in implementation of projects on the ground
needs to be greatly improved.

Most of what needs to be done in this context rests with state

governments but the central government must find ways of
improving project design, prioritising resources to fund well
designed interventions that work, devolving resources to lower
levels and helping build capacity. Evidence-based evaluation is
critical for redesign and prioritisation.