Big picture
Planning is the process of thinking out a course of action and implementing it to solve a problem or achieve goals. India adopted Five Year Plans after independence to develop the economy and reduce regional inequality. Planning can focus on sectors (agriculture, industry, health) or on regions that lag behind.
Over time, it became clear that growth that harms the environment can't last. Sustainable development aims to meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. This chapter explains Indian planning approaches, two case studies, and the idea of sustainability.
Learning goals
Distinguish sectoral and regional planning.
Explain target area and target group programmes.
Describe hill area and drought-prone area development programmes.
Explain the case study of the Bharmaur tribal region.
Explain sustainable development and the Brundtland Report.
Explain the case study of the Indira Gandhi Canal command area.
Core ideas
1. Planning in India
Approach | Meaning |
|---|---|
Sectoral planning | Formulating and implementing schemes for developing particular sectors of the economy: agriculture, irrigation, manufacturing, power, construction, transport, communication, social infrastructure and services |
Regional planning | Planning for the development of specific regions, to reduce regional imbalances, because economic development has not been uniform across India |
India's planning was centralised through the Planning Commission (1950), which prepared Five Year Plans (from 1951). In 2015, the Planning Commission was replaced by NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India), which acts as a policy think tank and promotes cooperative federalism.
2. Target area and target group programmes
Target area programmes focus on specific areas facing particular problems, such as the Command Area Development Programme, Drought Prone Area Programme, Desert Development Programme and Hill Area Development Programme.
Target group programmes focus on specific groups, such as the Small Farmers Development Agency (SFDA) and the Marginal Farmers Development Agency (MFDA).
Special area programmes were also launched for the north-eastern states, tribal areas and backward areas.
3. Hill Area Development Programme
Started during the Fifth Five Year Plan, covering 15 districts: all the hilly districts of Uttarakhand (then part of Uttar Pradesh), Mikir Hill and North Cachar Hills of Assam, Darjeeling district of West Bengal, and the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu.
The National Committee on the Development of Backward Areas (1981) recommended that hill areas above 600 m and not covered by the tribal sub-plan be treated as backward hill areas.
Plans aimed to harness indigenous resources through development of horticulture, plantation agriculture, animal husbandry, poultry, forestry, and small-scale and village industry, taking local topography, ecology and economy into account.
4. Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP)
Initiated during the Fourth Five Year Plan to provide employment to people in drought-prone areas and create productive assets.
Initially, it emphasised labour-intensive civil works. Later, the emphasis shifted to irrigation projects, land development, afforestation, grassland development, and creation of basic rural infrastructure such as electricity, roads, markets, credit and services.
The National Committee on Development of Backward Areas found that the programme was largely confined to agriculture and allied sectors and recommended integrated watershed development, restoring ecological balance between water, soil, plants, humans and animals.
Drought-prone areas lie mainly in Rajasthan, Gujarat, western Madhya Pradesh, the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, the Rayalaseema and Telangana plateaus, the Karnataka plateau and the highlands and interior parts of Tamil Nadu.
5. Case study: Integrated Tribal Development Project in Bharmaur region
The region:
The Bharmaur tribal region comprises the Bharmaur and Holi tehsils of Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh. It was notified as a tribal area in 1975.
It is inhabited by the Gaddi tribe, which has a distinct identity in the Himalayan region; they practise transhumance and speak the Gaddiali dialect.
The region has harsh climatic conditions, a low resource base and a fragile environment. It was one of the most economically and socially backward areas of Himachal Pradesh.
The economy depended on agriculture and allied activities such as sheep and goat rearing.
The project:
Launched under the Fifth Five Year Plan (1974); the Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) emphasised improving the quality of life of the Gaddis and narrowing the gap between Bharmaur and other areas.
Priority went to transport and communication, agriculture and allied activities, and social and community services.
Outcomes:
Increase in literacy rate, improvement in sex ratio, and decline in child marriage.
Better infrastructure: schools, health care, potable water, roads, communication and electricity.
Change in cropping pattern: cultivation of pulses and other cash crops increased, while traditional crops declined.
The importance of pastoralism (transhumance) declined: only about a tenth of households practise it now. The Gaddis are still mobile, though, as many move to the Kangra valley in winter.
6. Sustainable development
The concept arose in the late 1960s from growing awareness of the environmental impacts of development. The book The Population Bomb by Ehrlich (1968) and The Limits to Growth by Meadows and others (1972) raised concerns.
The World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), headed by Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, gave its report, "Our Common Future" (also called the Brundtland Report), in 1987.
It defined sustainable development as "a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".
Sustainable development takes care of ecological, social and economic aspects of development.
7. Case study: Indira Gandhi Canal command area
The canal:
The Indira Gandhi Canal, previously the Rajasthan Canal, is one of the largest canal systems in India.
Conceived by Kanwar Sain in 1948, the project was launched on 31 March 1958.
The canal originates at the Harike barrage in Punjab (at the confluence of the Satluj and Beas rivers) and runs parallel to the Pakistan border, at an average distance of 40 km, in the Thar desert (Marusthali) of Rajasthan.
Its total planned length is 9,060 km, catering to the irrigation of 19.63 lakh hectares of culturable command area.
Stage I command area: Ganganagar, Hanumangarh and the northern part of Bikaner district; gently undulating topography; flow irrigation; irrigation started in the early 1960s.
Stage II command area: Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jodhpur, Nagaur and Churu districts; shifting sand dunes and high temperatures; lift canals are used to lift water against the slope.
Positive impacts:
Soil moisture availability increased, and there was extensive afforestation and pasture development, which reduced wind erosion and silting of canals.
Agricultural area and cropping intensity increased. Traditional crops like gram, bajra and jowar were replaced by wheat, cotton, groundnut and rice.
Growth of agricultural and livestock productivity, and of the economy.
Negative impacts:
Intensive irrigation and excessive use of water led to waterlogging and soil salinity.
The introduction of water-intensive crops led to environmental degradation.
Measures to promote sustainability:
Strict implementation of the water management policy; the canal project envisages protective irrigation in Stage I and extensive irrigation of crops and pasture development in Stage II.
The cropping pattern should not include water-intensive crops; farmers should grow plantation crops such as citrus fruits.
Command area development works such as lining of watercourses, land development and levelling, and the warabandi system (equal distribution of canal water in the command area of the outlet).
Areas affected by waterlogging and soil salinity should be reclaimed.
Eco-development through afforestation, shelterbelt plantation and pasture development, especially in the fragile Stage II area.
Land allotted to poor farmers should receive adequate financial and institutional support for cultivation.
Development of other sectors of the economy (not only agriculture), with interaction between basic activities and the economic, social and environmental sectors.
A reliable approach to questions
Distinguish sectoral and regional planning with examples.
Explain target area and target group programmes; name examples of each.
For hill areas and DPAP, give the plan, coverage and approach.
For Bharmaur, give location, tribe, project and outcomes.
Define sustainable development with the Brundtland Report.
For the Indira Gandhi Canal, give origin, stages, impacts and the seven measures.
Connections that matter
India: water resources explains irrigation and watershed management.
India: land resources and agriculture explains cropping intensity and land degradation.
Primary activities explains transhumance among the Gaddis.
Common mistakes
Saying the Indira Gandhi Canal originates in Rajasthan. It starts at the Harike barrage in Punjab.
Saying the Gaddis are a tribe of Uttarakhand. They live in the Bharmaur region of Chamba, Himachal Pradesh.
Confusing target area programmes (for areas) with target group programmes (for groups like small farmers).
Attributing the definition of sustainable development to the Planning Commission. It comes from the Brundtland Report (1987).
Revision checklist
I can distinguish sectoral and regional planning.
I can explain target area, hill area and drought-prone area programmes.
I can explain the Bharmaur case study.
I can define sustainable development and cite the Brundtland Report.
I can explain the Indira Gandhi Canal command area, its impacts and sustainability measures.