Which of the following was an objective of the Five-Year Plans in India?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The correct answer is option 2 i.e. Self-reliance.
One of the principal, long-term objectives of the Five-Year Plans in India was to achieve self-reliance (or self-sufficiency), particularly in critical areas like food production and industrial goods. This objective was rooted in the nation's post-independence goal of reducing dependence on foreign aid, imports, and technology, thereby securing its economic and political sovereignty.
This focus was particularly prominent in the early plans:
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The First Five-Year Plan (1951-1956) was based on the Harrod-Domar Model and focused on agricultural development to achieve food self-sufficiency.
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The goal of self-reliance was heavily re-emphasized in the Third Five-Year Plan (1961–1966) and the Fifth Five-Year Plan (1974–1979), where the slogan of 'Garibi Hatao' (poverty removal) was coupled with the drive for self-reliance in agriculture and defense.
The core objectives of India's centralized planning system, which ran from 1951 to 2017 (when the Planning Commission was replaced by NITI Aayog), were Growth, Modernisation, Self-reliance, and Equity.