Read the following Assertion (A) and Reason (R) carefully and choose the correct option.
Assertion (A): The planning approach between 1951–1990 led to a successful transformation of India’s employment structure.
Reason (R): Over 65% of India’s workforce remained dependent on agriculture during this period.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
Answer: A is false, but R is true.
Explanation:
During the planning period between 1951 and 1990, India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) did indeed grow; however, there was no significant structural transformation in the pattern of employment. Assertion (A) is false because, despite the expansion of the industrial and service sectors, the shift of the workforce from agriculture to non-agricultural sectors remained very slow. Reason (R) is true because, according to statistics, approximately 70–75% of the workforce was dependent on agriculture in 1950–51—a figure that, even by 1990, remained above 65%. While agriculture's contribution to the GDP declined rapidly, the burden of the population dependent on it did not diminish; this can be viewed as an early manifestation of "jobless growth."
Additional Points:
Structural Change: In an ideal development process, the workforce should transition from agriculture to manufacturing, and subsequently to the service sector. In India, this process largely bypassed the "manufacturing" stage, moving directly toward the service sector.
Disguised Unemployment: Due to the excessive population pressure on agriculture, the problem of "hidden unemployment" (disguised unemployment) persists in the Indian agricultural sector to this day.
Potential Exam Questions:
Question: During the planning period (1951–90), which sector's share of the GDP grew the fastest?
Answer: The Service Sector.
Question: In which year did economic reforms (LPG) begin in India?
Answer: 1991.