History · Economy

Five-Year Plans to NITI Aayog

India’s planning journey: twelve Five-Year Plans (1951–2017), then NITI Aayog.

Exam facts

• Planning Commission15 March 1950 (Cabinet resolution)
• NITI Aayog1 January 2015
• Number of Five-Year Plans12 (last ended 2017)

NITI Aayog today

• Formed1 January 2015 (Cabinet resolution)
• ChairpersonPrime Minister Narendra Modi
• Vice ChairpersonAshok Kumar Lahiri (since April 2026)
• CEOAnurag Jain (since July 2026)
• First Vice ChairpersonArvind Panagariya
• First CEOSindhushree Khullar
• Governing CouncilPM, all Chief Ministers, LGs of UTs with legislatures
• ApproachCooperative federalism; bottom-up planning

How planning evolved

1. 1938National Planning Committee

   Set up by the Congress under Subhas Chandra Bose; chaired by Jawaharlal Nehru.

2. 1944Bombay Plan

   Prepared by eight industrialists including J. R. D. Tata and G. D. Birla.

3. 15 Mar 1950Planning Commission formed

   By a Cabinet resolution (not under the Constitution). Chairman: Jawaharlal Nehru; first Deputy Chairman: Gulzarilal Nanda.

4. 6 Aug 1952National Development Council

   Approved the Five-Year Plans; Chief Ministers were members.

5. 2014Planning Commission abolished

   Announced in the Independence Day speech of 15 Aug 2014.

6. 1 Jan 2015NITI Aayog formed

   National Institution for Transforming India, by a Cabinet resolution. Chairperson: the Prime Minister.

7. 2017Three-year Action Agenda

   Replaced the Five-Year Plans, with a 15-year vision and 7-year strategy.

8. Apr 2026NITI Aayog reconstituted

   Ashok Kumar Lahiri appointed Vice Chairperson (notified 24 Apr 2026).

The Five-Year Plans

• First Plan

  1951–1956

  Harrod–Domar model; agriculture and irrigation. Exceeded its growth target (about 3.6% vs 2.1%).

• Second Plan

  1956–1961

  P. C. Mahalanobis model; heavy industry. Steel plants at Bhilai, Rourkela, Durgapur.

• Third Plan

  1961–1966

  Self-reliance; agriculture and industry (Gadgil strategy). Failed because of the 1962 and 1965 wars and drought.

• Plan holiday

  1966–1969

  Three annual plans. Green Revolution began.

• Fourth Plan

  1969–1974

  Growth with stability and progressive self-reliance. Gadgil formula for central assistance to States; bank nationalisation (1969).

• Fifth Plan

  1974–1978

  Removal of poverty and self-reliance. Ended a year early by the Janata government; 20-Point Programme (1975).

• Rolling Plan

  1978–1980

  Annual review of targets. Introduced by the Janata government.

• Sixth Plan

  1980–1985

  Removal of poverty; employment. IRDP; NABARD set up (1982).

• Seventh Plan

  1985–1990

  Food, work and productivity. Jawahar Rozgar Yojana (1989).

• Annual plans

  1990–1992

  Two annual plans. Political instability and the 1991 economic crisis.

• Eighth Plan

  1992–1997

  Rao–Manmohan model; LPG reforms; human resource development. India joined the WTO (1995).

• Ninth Plan

  1997–2002

  Growth with social justice and equality. Growth fell short of target.

• Tenth Plan

  2002–2007

  Doubling per-capita income in 10 years. Growth target 8%; States given targets.

• Eleventh Plan

  2007–2012

  Faster and more inclusive growth.

• Twelfth Plan

  2012–2017

  Faster, more sustainable and more inclusive growth. The last Five-Year Plan.