We are living in an endangered environment caused by our progress and folly—a world, we thought, just belonged to us and none else. And we are paying a dear price with nature reacting violently around the world. You can’t obviously rape Nature and get away with it. You are getting back in your own coin. […]
Indian Railways, which comprise the chief mode of organised transportation system, are the nation’s single largest undertaking. Making a small beginning in April 1853 when the first ever railway train in India commenced its jouney from Mumbai to Thane, a stretch of only 34 kilometres, Indian Railwways emerged to be the Asia’s largest and the
The country is now, more or less self-sufficient in the production of consumer goods and some basic items like iron and steel. Power generation has been substantially stepped up and infrastructure adequately built up for future industrial progress.Among India’s major large scale industries are: cotton textile industry with over a thousand textile mills providing employment
Every Five-Year Plan is conceived on the bedrock of high expectations and on the conviction of avoding past mistakes and implementing new ideas in order to build a more prosperous India. The Plan has taken on a fresh look in the light of the different innovations introduced during the new regime, especially in the areas
The broad obectives of 9th Plan (1997-2002), are: 1. Priority to agriculture and rural development to generate adequate productive employment and eradication of poverty. 2. Accelerating growth rate with stable prices. 3. Ensuring food and nutritional security for all especially vulnerable sections of soceity. 4. Providing minimum services of safe drinking water, primary health care,
The Seventh Five-Year Plan ended on March 31, 1990. In the normal course the Eighth Plan should have begun on April 1, 1990. However, due to some unavoidable circumstances including the changes in party in power at the Centre, the Plan document could not be finalised. It was only when the new Government assumed office
India embarked upon planned economic development soon after the achievement of independence. Planning in India derives its objectives and social premises from the Directive Principles of State Policy set forth in the Constitution. The Planning Commission prepares a blueprint of development, taking an overall view of the needs and resources of the country.The First Five-Year
Rural DevelopmentIndia lives in villages and village uplift is the key to the progress of the country. Since Independence, there has been a great exodus of population from the villages to the cities and towns. In spite of this the majority of our population still lives in villages.According to the 1971 census, 96 per cent
Every seventh person in the world is an Indian and every third poor person in the world is also an Indian. The statistics speak about the gravity of the problems of unemployment and poverty which demand and immediate solution. It has been observed that with the increase in the number of unemployed persons poverty expands.
Public sector enterprises are those enterprises which are owned and managed by the Central, State or Local Governments. At the time of Independence, public sector enterprises of the Central Government were confined to a very small segment of the economy namely—Railways, Posts and Telegraphs, Ports and Defence establishments. After Independence, the expansion of public sector
Small-scale and cottage industries are important parts of the structure and texture of Indian manufacturing sector. Small-scale industrial units are those which operate with a modest investment in fixed capital, relatively small-scale work force and which produce a relatively small volume of output of goods/services. They differ from large-scale industries with respect to size of
Role of IndustrialisationIndustrialisation has an important role to play in development of a country. This is true in the context of the developing countries as well. To some extent the gap in per capita income between developed and developing countries could be attributed to the structure of the economy in which a relatively poor position
Green RevolutionThe term green revolution has been used in the context of a significant break through in the production of foodgrains especially the wheat which showed a significant improvement in productivity since the mid-sixties. Such a break through could be possible due to the adoption of the new agricultural strategy. The new agricultural strategy emphasised
Agriculture plays a very important role in India’s economic development. The country is predominantly agricultural with 62 per cent of popluation depending directly on agriculture. It contributes about one-third of gross value added in India. Its role in economic development apart, it is a way of life and, therefore, in its development lies the general
National income is the money value of all the final goods and services produced by a country during a period of one year. National income consists of a collection of different types of goods and services of different types. Since these goods are measured in different physical units it is not possible to add them