Achievements of Plans From 1947–65

1. Stepping up the rate of growth required a substantial increase in the investment rate. An important achievement in this period was the rise in the savings and investment rates.

2. On the agrarian front, the comprehensive land reforms measures initiated soon after independence, the setting of a massive network for agricultural extension and community development at village level, the large infrastructural investment in irrigation, power, and agricultural research created favorable conditions which led to the growth of agriculture output during 1949 to 65 at 3% per annum.

3. Industry during the first three plans, grew more rapidly than agriculture. The industrial growth was based on rapid import substitution of both consumer goods and capital good and intermediate goods. This helped India in reducing India's total dependence on the advances countries for basic goods and capital equipment's.

4. Apart from industry and agriculture, the early planners gave utmost priority to the development of social infrastructure including education and health, areas greatly neglected in the colonial past.

5. Nehru's temples of Modern India' consisted not only of steel and power plants, irrigation dams, etc. but included institutions of higher learning particularly in the scientific field. During first Five year Plan, high powered national laboratories and institutes were set up by the council of scientific and industrial research for conducing fundamental and applied research in each of following areas : Physics, chemistry, fuel, glass and ceramics food technology drugs, electro-chemistry, roads, leather and building. In 1948, the Atomic Energy Commission was set up laying the foundations of the creditable advances India was to make in the sphere of nuclear Science and related areas. India's scientific and technical manpower increased more than 12 times from 190,000 to 2.32 million.

Key controversies regarding 5 year plans: The strategy of development followed in the early years raised several important questions.