Chapter 9

PLANNING AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN INDIAN CONTEXT

FACTS THAT MATTER

•The word planning is used with reference to the process of economic development. it involves the process of thinking, formulation of a scheme or programme and implementation of a set of actions to achieve some goal

•Planning Commission of India was a statutory body headed by the Prime Minister and had a Deputy Chairman and members. It had been entrusted with centralised planning and the task of planning in India is largely carried out through Five Year Plans.

•Now, the Planning Commission has been replaced by NITI Aayog. The NITI Aayog was formed on 1 January, 2015. NITI Aayog has been set up with the objective of involving the states in economic policy making for India for providing strategic and technical advice to the Central and State governments.

•The First Five Year Plan was launched in 1951 and covered the period, 1951-52 to 1955-56. Second and Third Five Year Plans covered the period from 1956-57 to 1960- 61 and 1961-62 to 1965-66 respectively.

•Two successive droughts during mid-sixties (1965-66 and 1966-67) and war withPakistan in 1965 forced plan holiday in 1966-67 and 1968-69. This period was covered by annual plans, which are also termed as Rolling Plans.

•The Tenth Plan continued from 2002-07, eleventh five year plan continued for 2007- 12. Twelfth Five Year Plan is in progress.

•There are two approaches to planning:

(a) Sectoral planning

(b) Regional planning.

•The sectoral planning aims at formulation and implementation of the sets of Schemes or programmes aimed at development of various sectors of the economy such as agriculture, irrigation, manufacturing, power, construction, transport, Communication, social infrastructure and services. On the other hand, regional planning is used when some areas are more developed and some lag behind. This uneven pattern of development over space necessitates that the planners have a Spatial perspective and draw the plans to reduce regional imbalance in development.

Target Area Planning

•The planning process has to take special care of those areas which have remained economically backward. In order to arrest the accentuation of regional and social sparties, the Planning Commission introduced the target area' and target group approaches to planning

•Some of the examples of programmes directed towards the development of rget areas are Command Area Development Programme, Drought Prone Area development Programme, Desert Development Programme, Hill Area Development programme. The Small Farmers Development Agency (SFDA) and Marginal Programme. Farmers Development Agency (MFDA) which are the examples of target group Programme. In the 8th Five year Plan spec1al area programmes were designed to develop llrastructure in hill areas, north-eastern states, tribal areas and backward areas.

Hill Area Development Programme

•The National Committee on the Development of Backward Area in 1981 recommend that all the hill areas in the country having height above 600 m and not covered under tribal sub-plan be treated as backward hill areas.

•Special programmes were suggested tor these areaS keeping in view topography ecological, social and economic conditions. These programmes aimed at harnesat the indigenous resources of the hill areas through development of horticulture. plantation agriculture, animal husbandry, poultry, forestry and small-scale village industry.

Drought Prone Area Programme

•Drought Prone Area Programme was initiated during the Fourth Five Year Plan. main objective was providing employment to the people in drought-prone areas and creating productive assets. It emphasised on irrigation projects, land development programmes, afforestation, grassland development and creation of basic rural infrastructure such as electricity, roads, market, credit and services.

•In 1967, Planning Commission of India identified 67 districts (entire or partly) of the country prone to drought. In 1972, Irrigation Commission introduced the criterion of 30 per cent irrigated area and demarcated the drought-prone areas. Most of the drought- prone areas in ndia are spread over semi-arid and arid tract of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Western Madhya Pradesh, Marathwada region of Maharashtra, Rayalseema and Telangana plateaus of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka plateau and highlands and interior parts of Tamil Nadu. Drought prone areas of Punjab, Haryana & North Rajasthan are protected by irrigation.

Case Study-Integrated Tribal Development Project in Bharmaur Region

•Two tehsils of Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, namely Bharmaur and Holi were notified as a tribal area since 21 November, 1975. Bharmaur is inhabited by Gaddi, a tribal community who have maintained a distinct identity in the Himalayan region as they practise transhumance and conversed through Gaddiali dialect.

•Bharmaur tribal region is one of economically and socially backward areas of Himachal Pradesh. Due to implementation of Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP), there has been tremendous increase in literacy rate, improvement in sex ratio and decline in child marriage. The female literacy rate in the region increased from 1.88 per cent in 1971 to 65 per cent in 2011. The difference between males and females in literacy level, i.e. gender inequality, has also declined.

Sustainable Development

•Development is a multidimensional concept. It is a process of positive and irreversible changes in society, economy and environment. The concept of development is dynamic. It has evolved during the second half of twentieth century.

•Since1970s, the phrases such as redistribution with growth, growth and equity were incorporated in the definition of development. While dealing with the questions related to redistribution and equity, it was realised that the concept of development cannot be restricted to the economic sphere alone. It also includes the issues such as improvin8 the well-being and living standard of people, availing of the health, education and equality of opportunity and ensuring political and civil rights.

•By 1980s, developmernt emerged as a concept encapsulating widespread imprOvement in social as well as material well- being of all in a society. Redistribution with growth and growth and equity became part of it.

•Concerned with the growing opinion of world community on the environmental issues, the United Nations established a World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED). It was headed by the Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. The Commission gave its report in 1987. It is called Brundtland Report and was entitled Our Common Future'

•According to this report, sustainable development is a "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

Case Study Indira Gandhi (Nahar) Command Area

•Indira Gandhi Canal which was previously known as the Rajasthan Canal, is one of the largest canal systems in India. It was conceived by Kanwar Sain in 1948 and the canal project was launched on 31 March, 1958. The canal originates at Harike barrage in Punjab and runs parallel to Pakistan border at an average distance of 400 km in Thar Desert (Marusthali) of Rajasthan. The total planned length of the system is 9,060 km catering to the irrigation needs of a total culturable command area of 19.63 lakh hectares. Out of the total command area, about 70 per cent was envisaged to be irrigated by flow system and the rest by lift system.

We hope CBSE/MP Board Class 12th "Geography Part B " Chapter 9 "Planning and sustainable development in Indian context" will help you.

Written By - HIMANSHU SHARMA