Solution of Chapter 3. Politics of Planned Development (Politics In India Since Indepen Book)

Which of these statements about the Bombay Plan is incorrect?

(a) It was a blueprint for India’s economic future.

(b) It supported state-ownership of industry.

(c) It was made by some leading industrialists.

(d) It supported strongly the idea of planning.

Which of the following ideas did not form part of the early phase of India’s development policy?

(a) Planning

(b) Liberalisation

(c) Cooperative Farming

(d) Self sufficiency

The idea of planning in India was drawn from

(a) the Bombay plan

(b) experiences of the Soviet

(c) Gandhian vision of society

(d) Demand by peasant bloc countries organisations

i. b and d only

ii. d and c only

iii. a and b only

iv. all the above

Match the following.

What were the major differences in the approach towards development at the time of Independence? Has the debate been resolved?

What was the major thrust of the First Five Year Plan? In which ways did the Second Plan differ from the first one?

What was the Green Revolution? Mention two positive and two negative consequences of the Green Revolution.

State the main arguments in the debate that ensued between industrialisation and agricultural development at the time of the second Five Year Plan.

“Indian policy makers made a mistake by emphasising the role of state in the economy. India could have developed much better in private sector was allowed a free play right from the beginning”. Give arguments for or against this proposition

Read the following passage and answer the questions below:

“In the early years of Independence, two contradictory tendencies were already well advanced inside the Congress party. On the one hand, the national party executive endorsed socialist principles of state ownership, regulation and control over key sectors of the economy in order to improve productivity and at the same time curb economic concentration. On the other hand, the national Congress government pursued liberal economic policies and incentives to private investment that was justified in terms of the sole criterion of achieving maximum increase in production. “ — Francine Frankel

(a) What is the contradiction that the author is talking about? What would be the political implications of a contradiction like this?

(b) If the author is correct, why is it that the Congress was pursuing this policy? Was it related to the nature of the opposition parties?

(c) Was there also a contradiction between the central leadership of the Congress party and its Sate level leaders?