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What were the main goals of India’s First Five-Year Plan?
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Jawaharlal Nehru
As India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru was in office for more than 16 years, making him the country's longest-serving prime minister.
Under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, India launched its First Five-Year Plan in 1951 to foster national development through economic planning.
The primary goals of this initiative focused on rebuilding and expanding the nation's foundational infrastructure. Specifically, the plan directed the majority of its financial resources toward:
- Transportation: The restoration and modernization of India’s war-shattered railroad network.1
- Agriculture: The development of irrigation schemes and canals to support food production.1
While these efforts were intended to stabilize the economy, the decade saw significant population growth that limited the tangible benefits for the broader population, particularly the landless and the rural poor. These early planning efforts set the stage for subsequent industrial expansion and the later focus on agricultural modernization.1