MINISTER OF STATE FOR PLANNING, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. ASHWANI KUMAR)
(a) & (b): The development process in the Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-07) was centered
around increasing the efficiency and productive capacity of the economy to attain the desired
economic and social objectives. The Tenth Plan envisaged an average annual growth rate of 8
percent. The Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12) took cognizance of the multi-dimensional
aspects of development and adopted inclusive growth as the main objective of development
planning and aimed at achieving an average annual growth rate of 9 %. In order to ensure
inclusive growth, 27 monitorable targets were fixed under six major categories at the national
level such as: (a) Income and Poverty (b) Education (c) Health (d) Women and Children (e)
Infrastructure (f) Environment. The growth targets set during the Tenth and Eleventh Five
Year Plans and achievements are indicated as follows:
Sectoral Growth Rates
Sectors X Plan XI Plan
Target Achievement Target Achievement
Agriculture 4.0 2.3 4.0 3.3
Industry 8.9 9.4 10-11 6.6
Services 9.4 9.3 9-11 9.8
Total 8.0 7.8 9.0 7.9
GDP
Source: Planning Commission, Central Statistics Office.
(c) & (d): Five Year Plans are formulated on certain assumptions and premises which may
change during the course of the plan period. The economic review is presented before the
Parliament every year in the form of Economic Survey which analyses the achievements,
challenges and the policy environment to achieve the development goals. Mid Term
Appraisals were conducted during the Tenth and Eleventh Five Year Plans containing the
review of the status of achievements of Plan objectives and were placed before the National
Development Council and the Parliament. The implementation of Tenth and Eleventh Five
Year Plans has resulted in achieving a considerable progress as reflected by various
indicators concerning the overall wellbeing of the people. As per the Census 2011, the overall
literacy rate in the country has increased from 64.83% in 2001 to 74.04% in 2011. As per
Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2010, the total fertility rate (TFR) has
declined from 3.2 during the period 1998-2000 to 2.6 in 2008-10. The Infant Mortality Rate
has come down from 66 per thousand live births in 2001 to 47 per thousand in 2010. The
Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) was 424 per lakh live births in 1992-93 and has come down
to 212 per lakh in 2007-09. The percentage of population below poverty line has declined
from 45.3% in 1993-94 to 37.2% in 2004-05 and further to 29.8% in 2009-10.
(e): The high rate of economic growth that India witnessed recently has contributed
significantly to the expansion of India`s economy which has blunted the incidence of acute
poverty throughout the country. The Government has initiated various measures to improve
the quality of life of the people and to reduce poverty in the country through direct
intervention by implementing specific poverty reduction and mitigation programmes such as
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS),
Swaranjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY), Swarna Jayanti Shahri Rozgar Yojana
(SJSRY), Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS),
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA), National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), Rajiv Gandhi
National Drinking Water Mission, Total Sanitation Campaign, Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY),
Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) etc. and such policy instruments are likely to
continue in the 12th Five Year Plan to achieve the objective of faster and more sustainable
inclusive growth.
