Five-Year Plans & NITI Aayog

🎯 Learning Objective

Trace planning in India from the Planning Commission to NITI Aayog, and know the famous plans and agricultural revolutions.

💡 Concept

• The Planning Commission was set up in 1950 by a cabinet resolution (it was NOT a constitutional body)
• NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) replaced it on 1 January 2015
• The Prime Minister is the ex-officio Chairperson of NITI Aayog; it is run by a CEO and a Vice-Chairperson
• India adopted Five-Year Plans from the USSR model; M. Visvesvaraya is called a pioneer of Indian economic planning
• 1st Five-Year Plan (1951–56): based on the Harrod–Domar model, focused on AGRICULTURE — most successful in meeting targets
• 2nd Five-Year Plan (1956–61): based on the Mahalanobis model, focused on HEAVY INDUSTRIES
• Planning ended with the 12th Plan (2012–17); NITI Aayog does NOT make five-year plans
• Green Revolution boosted foodgrain (wheat & rice) via HYV seeds — Father in India: M. S. Swaminathan; worldwide: Norman Borlaug
• White Revolution / Operation Flood boosted milk — Father: Verghese Kurien (India became the world's largest milk producer)
• Blue Revolution = fish, Yellow Revolution = oilseeds, Silver Revolution = eggs

✏️ Easy Example

Q. NITI Aayog replaced which body, and in which year? (a) Finance Commission, 2014 (b) Planning Commission, 2015 (c) RBI, 2016 (d) CAG, 2015

1. NITI Aayog is the new planning think-tank
2. It replaced the Planning Commission on 1 January 2015

Answer: (b) Planning Commission, 2015

🇮🇳 Real-Life Example

The milk you buy from Amul is the living result of the White Revolution — Verghese Kurien's cooperative model turned India from a milk-short nation into the world's biggest producer. Static GK you can literally drink.

📝 Exam-Level Example

Q. Who is known as the 'Father of the Green Revolution' in India?

1. Green Revolution = HYV seeds, higher foodgrain output in the 1960s
2. In India it was led by agricultural scientist M. S. Swaminathan

Answer: M. S. Swaminathan

📝 Exam-Level Example

Q. The First Five-Year Plan gave top priority to which sector?

1. It followed the Harrod–Domar model after Partition's food crisis
2. Priority = agriculture and irrigation

Answer: Agriculture

🪄 Memory Trick

Revolutions by colour: Green = Grains, White = White milk, Blue = Blue sea/fish, Yellow = oil (mustard is yellow), Silver = eggs (shiny shell).

⚠️ Common Mistakes

• ❌ Calling the Planning Commission a constitutional body (it was created by a resolution)
• ❌ Mixing up the plan models — 1st Plan = Harrod–Domar, 2nd Plan = Mahalanobis
• ❌ Swapping Swaminathan (Green) and Kurien (White)

🏆 Exam Tips

• ✅ 1st Plan = agriculture, 2nd Plan = heavy industry — this pair is asked repeatedly
• ✅ NITI Aayog = think-tank/advisory; it has no financial-allocation power like the old Planning Commission

📌 Summary

• Planning Commission (1950) → NITI Aayog (1 January 2015)
• 1st Plan (1951–56) agriculture; 2nd Plan (1956–61) heavy industry
• Green Revolution = Swaminathan; White Revolution = Kurien
• Planning ended with the 12th Plan (2012–17)