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.
Route 1 Commission (1950) set state-led, long-term development template → form changed by NITI Aayog, inheritance intact
Route 2 planned development 1950–2014 defined India’s growth path → legacy outlives the institution
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
Govinda Rao: relevance declined post-liberalisation → NITI Aayog: think tank, cooperative federalism, flexible bottom-up planning → legacy consciously reformed, not discarded
Route 1 shift is of method, not aim → state intervention, long-term strategy, welfare goals persist
Route 2 institution replaced, template inherited → legacy still bears on development policy
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
Also asked on this head
Planning and Economic Development — 12 questions in the Vault.
- Land reforms programmes led to some constitutional amendments. Comment.
- The blueprint of Gram Swargaj is the key to understand the Gandhian perspective on planning. Discuss.
- How does NITI Aayog as a ‘policy think tank with shared vision visualize the reorganization of planning in India? Justify your answer.
How this is taught
The same flow snapshot, built for every head of the syllabus, with the answer written in class.
The first session of Foundation 2027 is published in full.
Six programmes across three levels.