Politics of Planned Development
Class 12 · Political Science
4 ideas in Class 12 Political Science, explained in plain words, with games and quizzes to practise.
Development: Whose Need
Part of: Choices of Development
A steel plant promises jobs and capital yet threatens tribal homes and rivers, so development splits makers, users and dwellers. India agreed on growth with justice steered by the state, but split on how. The West set the mirror of modernity, and Soviet and American models wooed planners differently.
Why it matters. Development is never neutral. Learners see clashes of interest behind every project and put people over blueprints.
Key words
- Left leaning
- : State control of economy for fairness.
- Right leaning
- : Trust in markets with little state meddling.
- Growth with justice
- : Growth paired with fair shares.
- Modernisation
- : Aping Western industry as progress.
- Political contestation
- : Choice among clashing group interests.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask what a plant means to makers and villagers.
- Discuss left state control versus right markets.
- Ask why experts advise but people decide.
- Judge whether West must be the mirror.
Try at home. List who gains and who loses from a new mall near you.
Planning Consensus
Part of: Choices of Development
From left to right all sought state design, so a March 1950 resolution raised the Planning Commission with the PM as chair. It advised, with Cabinet approval needed, bound by Directive Principles of livelihood, fair shares and no wealth hoards. Big industrialists had already asked for state initiative in the 1944 Bombay Plan; NITI Aayog took over in 2015.
Why it matters. Plans shaped every budget. Learners see why even markets sought maps, and how fairness goals steer growth.
Key words
- Planning Commission
- : 1950 advisory body for development plans.
- NITI Aayog
- : 2015 body replacing the Commission.
- Bombay Plan
- : 1944 industrialists' plea for state-led growth.
- Five Year Plan
- : Five-year income-spending roadmap.
- Directive Principles
- : Fair-share goals guiding planners.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask why even industrialists sought plans.
- Discuss advisory versus binding power.
- Ask what fairness goals bind planners.
- Compare the old body with NITI Aayog.
Try at home. Plan your family budget for a month like a mini five-year plan.
First Plan: Hasten Slowly
Part of: Five-Year Plans
The 1951 to 56 First Plan sought escape from poverty with patience, as K.N. Raj warned fast growth might strain democracy. Partition-hit farms got priority: dams like Bhakra Nangal, irrigation, and land reform against skewed holdings. Savings were pushed up from tiny bases, rising modestly till the Third Plan.
Why it matters. Fields first was a deliberate bet. Learners weigh patience against hunger and land fairness against output.
Key words
- First Plan
- : 1951 to 56 focus on farming and water.
- Hasten slowly
- : Go slow to guard democracy.
- River dams
- : Big water projects like Bhakra Nangal.
- Land reforms
- : Fair redistribution of farmland.
- Savings push
- : Villagers saving for tomorrow.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask why farms came before factories.
- Discuss dams as temples of progress.
- Ask why skewed land blocks growth.
- Judge whether savings rose enough.
Try at home. List three crops grown near you and one water source each needs.
Second Plan: Heavy Industry
Part of: Five-Year Plans
The 1956 Second Plan, drawn by Mahalanobis, chased quick structural change with steel, power and machinery in public hands behind tariff walls, echoing the Avadi socialist pattern goal. Growth followed, but imported technology drained forex, farms lost funds, food risks loomed, and critics cried urban bias. The Third Plan repeated the mix till crisis forced a 1966 plan holiday.
Why it matters. Steel dreams cost bread. Learners balance industry against hunger and judge who bore the bill.
Key words
- Second Plan
- : 1956 to 61 heavy-industry push.
- Rapid industrialisation
- : Mahalanobis-led quick structural change.
- Socialist pattern
- : 1955 Congress goal of just society.
- Import tariffs
- : Import taxes shielding home industry.
- Urban bias
- : City-leaning plan tilt critics charged.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask why steel and machines came first.
- Discuss tariff walls and public sector.
- Ask how industry crowded out farms.
- Judge whether cities gained too much.
Try at home. Name three public-sector firms and what each makes.
What your child will practise
- Development: Whose Need: Jungle Puzzle (Clue Puzzle)
- Development: Whose Need: Space Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- First Plan: Hasten Slowly: Candy Puzzle (Clue Puzzle)
- Planning Consensus: Space Quest (Flip and Match)
- Second Plan: Heavy Industry: Candy Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- Quiz: Development: Whose Need (8 questions)
- Quiz: First Plan: Hasten Slowly (8 questions)
- Quiz: Planning Consensus (8 questions)
- Quiz: Second Plan: Heavy Industry (8 questions)