Five-Year Plans of India

The Five-Year Plans of India were a series of national development programmes implemented by the Government of India from 1951 to 2017. Inspired by the Soviet model, these plans aimed to promote balanced economic growth, reduce poverty and modernise key sectors such as agriculture, industry, infrastructure and education.

The Planning Commission, chaired ex-officio by the prime minister, conceptualised and monitored the plans until its replacement by the NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) in 2015. The plans evolved to address changing developmental priorities, introducing innovations like the Gadgil formula in 1969 for transparent resource allocation to states. While the five-year plans significantly shaped India's economic trajectory, they were discontinued in 2017, transitioning to a more flexible framework under the NITI Aayog.