Introduction

After independence India opted for mixed economy and the Government of India adopted the model of planned industrialization. The various Five Year Plans (with a few Annual Plans in between) exhibit the vision of Indian planners. In the beginning, forming the vision and mission of the Five Year Plan was not easy. During freedom struggle there were many conflicting visions of development and social transformation. There were regional visions, religious and cultural visions, philosophical issues, political issues and differences between different social groups. Even the members of All India Congress were divided on what shape the Indian economy should take. Congress had drawn support from diverse kinds of people. The first dilemma was to choose between Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of Gram Swaraj and the idea of industrialization. The second dilemma was to choose between the capitalist path of development and the socialist path. There were conflicts between middle class intellectuals, capitalists, socialists, grassroots workers, and pragmatists. Ultimately, the agenda was set up by Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru.