CENTRAL PLANNING

The Plans which are formulated by the Central Government and financed by it for the implementation at the national level are known as Central Plans. Over the years, the Centre has launched three such plans and the governments have maintained continuity in their implementation. The three central plans are:

A. Five-Year Plans,

B. Twenty-Point Programme, and

C. Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme. An introductory description of these plans is given as follows:

A. The Five-Year Plans

This is the most important among the central plans and is being continuously implemented one after the other since planning commenced in India. As planning has been a purely political excercise in India, the five-year plans of the country have seen many unstable and critical moments till date. Several new developments related to planning also took place during the years. Given below is a concise summary of the plans as we see their different periods of implementation:

First Plan Second Plan Third Plan Three Annual Plans Fourth Plan Fifth Plan Sixth Plan Seventh Plan Two Annual Plans Eighth Plan Ninth Plan Tenth Plan Eleventh Plan Eleventh Plan: Performance Twelfth Plan