PYQ Vault · Paper 1 · Planning & Economic Development
The legacy of the Planning Commission still has a bearing on India’s development policies. Discuss.
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Flow snapshot — how the answer moves
Intro routes
G9 Commission (1950) set state-led, long-term development template → form changed by NITI Aayog, inheritance intact planned development 1950-2014 defined India’s growth path → legacy outlives the institution
Body flow
Five-Year Plans (1950-2014) → public sector, heavy industry, infrastructure, strategic sectors → Kothari: state authority consolidated, top-down → growth tied to land reform, poverty alleviation, social justice → Jalan & Sen: welfare, social indicators → Santhanam: centralisation weakened federalism, near-unitary functioning → Finance Commission overlap → Centre-state fiscal strain
Counter-view
Govinda Rao: relevance declined post-liberalisation → NITI Aayog: think tank, cooperative federalism, flexible bottom-up planning → legacy consciously reformed, not discarded
Conclusion routes
GB shift is of method, not aim → state intervention, long-term strategy, welfare goals persist institution replaced, template inherited → legacy still bears on development policy
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
