Which of the following statements are related to the First Five Year Plan (1951-1956)?
(A) Huge allocations were made for the Bhakhra Nangal Dam.
(B) It identified the pattern of land distribution in the country.
(C) It imposed substantial tariffs on imports.
(D) It sought to push savings up.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → (A), (B) and (D) only
(A) Huge allocations were made for the Bhakhra Nangal Dam. Correct. The First Plan addressed mainly the agrarian sector, with investment in dams and irrigation.
(B) It identified the pattern of land distribution in the country. Correct. It saw land distribution as the principal obstacle to agricultural growth.
(C) It imposed substantial tariffs on imports. Incorrect. Tariffs on imports came with the Second Plan, to protect domestic industries.
(D) It sought to push savings up. Correct. Spending was already very low, so the planners sought to push savings up.
NCERT (2025-26): “The First Five Year Plan … The First Five Year Plan (1951–1956) sought to get the country’s economy out of the cycle of poverty. K.N. Raj, a young economist involved in drafting the plan, argued that India should ‘hasten slowly’ for the first two decades as a fast rate of development might endanger democracy. The First Five Year Plan addressed, mainly, the agrarian sector including investment in dams and irrigation. Agricultural sector was hit hardest by Partition and needed urgent attention. Huge allocations were made for large-scale projects like the Bhakhra Nangal Dam. The Plan identified the pattern of land distribution in the country as the principal obstacle in the way of agricultural growth. It focused on land reforms as the key to the country’s development. One of the basic aims of the planners was to raise the level of national income, which could be possible only if the people saved more money than they spent. As the basic level of spending was very low in the 1950s, it could not be reduced any more. So the planners sought to push savings up.… Rapid Industrialisation … This was reflected in the Second Plan. The government imposed substantial tariffs on imports in order to protect domestic industries.…” |