The Planning Commission was set up by a Resolution of the Government of India in March 1950 in pursuance of declared objectives of the Government to promote a rapid rise in the standard of living of the people by efficient exploitation of the resources of the country, increasing production and offering opportunities to all for employment in the service of the community. The Planning Commission was charged with the responsibility of making assessment of all resources of the country, augmenting deficient resources, formulating plans for the most effective and balanced utilisation of resources and determining priorities. Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Chairman of the Planning Commission.
The first Five-year Plan was launched in 1951 and two subsequent five-year plans were formulated till 1965, when there was a break because of the Indo-Pakistan Conflict. Two successive years of drought, devaluation of the currency, a general rise in prices and erosion of resources disrupted the planning process and after three Annual Plans between 1966 and 1969, the fourth Five-year plan was started in 1969.
The Eighth Plan could not take off in 1990 due to the fast changing political situation at the Centre and the years 1990-91 and 1991-92 were treated as Annual Plans. The Eighth Plan was finally launched in 1992 after the initiation of structural adjustment policies.
For the first eight Plans the emphasis was on a growing public sector with massive investments in basic and heavy industries, but since the launch of the Ninth Plan in 1997, the emphasis on the public sector has become less pronounced and the current thinking on planning in the country, in general, is that it should increasingly be of an indicative nature
The Prime Minister is the Chairman of the Planning Commission, which works under the overall guidance of the National Development Council. The Deputy Chairman and the full time Members of the Commission, as a composite body, provide advice and guidance to the subject Divisions for the formulation of Five Year Plans, Annual Plans, State Plans, Monitoring Plan Programmes, Projects and Schemes.
The Planning Commission functions through several Divisions, each headed by a Senior Officer. The Set up is:
• Chairman
• Sh. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Dy. Chairman
• Sh. M.V. Rajashekharan, Minister of State
• Members
o Dr. Kirit Parikh
o Prof. Abhijit Sen
o Dr. V.L. Chopra
o Dr. Bhalchandra Mungekar
o Dr.(Ms.) Syeda Hameed
o Shri B.N. Yugandhar
o Shri Anwar-ul-Hoda
o Shri B. K. Chaturvedi
• Dr. Subas Pani, Secretary
• Senior Officials
• Grievance Officers
• Induction Material - PDF | ZIP(MS Word)
• Organisational Chart (PDF)
Divisions
1. Agriculture Division
2. Backward Classes Division
3. Communication & Information Division
4. Development Policy Division
5. Education Division
6. Environment & Forest Division
7. Financial Resources Division
8. Health, Nutrition & Family Welfare Division
9. Housing, Urban Development & Water Supply Division
10. Industry & Minerals Division
11. International Economic Division
12. Infrastructure Division
13. Labour, Employment and Manpower Division
14. Multi-level Planning Division
15. Monitoring Division
16. Perspective Planning Division
17. Programme Outcome & Response Monitoring Division 18. Plan Coordination Division
19. Power & Energy Division
20. Programme Evaluation Organisation
21. Project Appraisal & Management Division
22. Rural Development Division
23. Science & Technology Division
24. Social Development & Women’s Programme Division
25. Social Welfare Division
26. State Plans Division
27. Transport Division
28. Village & Small Enterprises Division
29. Water Resources Division
30. Administration & Services Division
31. Other Units
o Border Area Development Programmes
o Socio-Economic Research Unit
o Western Ghat Development Programme
The 1950 resolution setting up the Planning Commission outlined its functions as to:
a. Make an assessment of the material, capital and human resources of the country, including technical personnel, and investigate the possibilities of augmenting such of these resources as are found to be deficient in relation to the nation’s requirement;
b. Formulate a Plan for the most effective and balanced utilisation of country's resources;
c. On a determination of priorities, define the stages in which the Plan should be carried out and propose the allocation of resources for the due completion of each stage;
d. Indicate the factors which are tending to retard economic development, and determine the conditions which, in view of the current social and political situation, should be established for the successful execution of the Plan;
e. Determine the nature of the machinery which will be necessary for securing the successful implementation of each stage of the Plan in all its aspects;
f. Appraise from time to time the progress achieved in the execution of each stage of the Plan and recommend the adjustments of policy and measures that such appraisal may show to be necessary; and
g. Make such interim or ancillary recommendations as appear to it to be appropriate either for facilitating the discharge of the duties assigned to it, or on a consideration of prevailing economic conditions, current policies, measures and development programmes or on an examination of such specific problems as may be referred to it for advice by Central or State Governments.
The first Five-year Plan was launched in 1951 and two subsequent five-year plans were formulated till 1965, when there was a break because of the Indo-Pakistan Conflict. Two successive years of drought, devaluation of the currency, a general rise in prices and erosion of resources disrupted the planning process and after three Annual Plans between 1966 and 1969, the fourth Five-year plan was started in 1969.
The Eighth Plan could not take off in 1990 due to the fast changing political situation at the Centre and the years 1990-91 and 1991-92 were treated as Annual Plans. The Eighth Plan was finally launched in 1992 after the initiation of structural adjustment policies.
For the first eight Plans the emphasis was on a growing public sector with massive investments in basic and heavy industries, but since the launch of the Ninth Plan in 1997, the emphasis on the public sector has become less pronounced and the current thinking on planning in the country, in general, is that it should increasingly be of an indicative nature
The Prime Minister is the Chairman of the Planning Commission, which works under the overall guidance of the National Development Council. The Deputy Chairman and the full time Members of the Commission, as a composite body, provide advice and guidance to the subject Divisions for the formulation of Five Year Plans, Annual Plans, State Plans, Monitoring Plan Programmes, Projects and Schemes.
The Planning Commission functions through several Divisions, each headed by a Senior Officer. The Set up is:
• Chairman
• Sh. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Dy. Chairman
• Sh. M.V. Rajashekharan, Minister of State
• Members
o Dr. Kirit Parikh
o Prof. Abhijit Sen
o Dr. V.L. Chopra
o Dr. Bhalchandra Mungekar
o Dr.(Ms.) Syeda Hameed
o Shri B.N. Yugandhar
o Shri Anwar-ul-Hoda
o Shri B. K. Chaturvedi
• Dr. Subas Pani, Secretary
• Senior Officials
• Grievance Officers
• Induction Material - PDF | ZIP(MS Word)
• Organisational Chart (PDF)
Divisions
1. Agriculture Division
2. Backward Classes Division
3. Communication & Information Division
4. Development Policy Division
5. Education Division
6. Environment & Forest Division
7. Financial Resources Division
8. Health, Nutrition & Family Welfare Division
9. Housing, Urban Development & Water Supply Division
10. Industry & Minerals Division
11. International Economic Division
12. Infrastructure Division
13. Labour, Employment and Manpower Division
14. Multi-level Planning Division
15. Monitoring Division
16. Perspective Planning Division
17. Programme Outcome & Response Monitoring Division 18. Plan Coordination Division
19. Power & Energy Division
20. Programme Evaluation Organisation
21. Project Appraisal & Management Division
22. Rural Development Division
23. Science & Technology Division
24. Social Development & Women’s Programme Division
25. Social Welfare Division
26. State Plans Division
27. Transport Division
28. Village & Small Enterprises Division
29. Water Resources Division
30. Administration & Services Division
31. Other Units
o Border Area Development Programmes
o Socio-Economic Research Unit
o Western Ghat Development Programme
The 1950 resolution setting up the Planning Commission outlined its functions as to:
a. Make an assessment of the material, capital and human resources of the country, including technical personnel, and investigate the possibilities of augmenting such of these resources as are found to be deficient in relation to the nation’s requirement;
b. Formulate a Plan for the most effective and balanced utilisation of country's resources;
c. On a determination of priorities, define the stages in which the Plan should be carried out and propose the allocation of resources for the due completion of each stage;
d. Indicate the factors which are tending to retard economic development, and determine the conditions which, in view of the current social and political situation, should be established for the successful execution of the Plan;
e. Determine the nature of the machinery which will be necessary for securing the successful implementation of each stage of the Plan in all its aspects;
f. Appraise from time to time the progress achieved in the execution of each stage of the Plan and recommend the adjustments of policy and measures that such appraisal may show to be necessary; and
g. Make such interim or ancillary recommendations as appear to it to be appropriate either for facilitating the discharge of the duties assigned to it, or on a consideration of prevailing economic conditions, current policies, measures and development programmes or on an examination of such specific problems as may be referred to it for advice by Central or State Governments.