The Gross Domestic Product
The Gross Domestic Product
The Gross Domestic Product
The gross domestic product (GDP) or gross domestic income (GDI) is one of the
measures of national income and output for a given country's economy. GDP is defined
as the total market value of all final goods and services produced within the country in a
given period of time (usually a calendar year). It is also considered the sum of a value
added at every stage of production (the intermediate stages) of all final goods and
services produced within a country in a given period of time, and it is given a money
value.
The most common approach to measuring and understanding GDP is the expenditure
method:
GDP = C + I + G + (X-M).
"Gross" means depreciation of capital stock is not subtracted. If net investment (which is
gross investment minus depreciation) is substituted for gross investment in the equation
above, then the formula for net domestic product is obtained. Consumption and
investment in this equation are expenditure on final goods and services. The exports-
minus-imports part of the equation (often called net exports) adjusts this by subtracting
the part of this expenditure not produced domestically (the imports), and adding back in
domestic area (the exports).
Economists (since Keynes) have preferred to split the general consumption term into
two parts; private consumption, and public sector (or government) spending. Two
advantages of dividing total consumption this way in theoretical macroeconomics are:
The first Indian Prime Minister, [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] presented the first five-year plan to
the [[Parliament of India]] on December 8, 1951. The total plan budget of 206.8 billion
[[Indian rupee|INR]] (23.6 billion [[United States dollar|USD]] in the 1950 [[exchange
rate]]) was allocated to seven broad areas: [[irrigation]] and [[energy]] (27.2 percent),
[[agriculture]] and [[community development]] (17.4 percent), [[transport]] and
[[communication]]s (24 percent), [[industry]] (8.4 percent), [[social services]] (16.64
percent), [[land rehabilitation]] (4.1 percent), and other (2.5 percent). The plan
promoting the idea of a self reliant closed economy was developed by Prof. P. C.
Mahalanobis of Indian Statistical Institute and borrowed the ideas from USSR's five year
plans developed by Domer. The plan is often referred to as the Domer-Mahalanobis
Model.
The target growth rate was 2.1 percent annual [[gross domestic product]] (GDP) growth;
the achieved growth rate was 3.6 percent. During the first five-year plan the [[net
domestic product]] went up by 15 percent. The [[monsoon]]s were good and there were
relatively high [[crop yield]]s, boosting exchange reserves and [[per capita income]],
which went up 8 percent. Lower increase of per capita income as compared to national
income was due to rapid [[population growth]]. Many irrigation projects were initiated
during this period, including the [[Bhakra Dam]] and [[Hirakud Dam]]. The [[World Health
Organization]], with the Indian government, addressed children's health and reduced
[[infant mortality]], contributing to population growth. At the end of the plan period in
1956, five [[Indian Institutes of Technology]] (IITs) were started as major technical
institutions. [[University Grants Commission (India)|University Grant Commission]] was
set up to take care of funding and take measures to strengthen the higher education in
the country. [[Contract]]s were signed to start five [[steel]] plants; however these plants
did not come into existence until the middle of the next five-year plan.
The second five-year plan focused on industry, especially [[heavy industry]]. Domestic
production of industrial products was encouraged, particularly in the development of the
[[public sector]]. The plan followed the [[Mahalanobis model]], an [[economic
development]] model developed by the Indian [[statistician]] [[Prasanta Chandra
Mahalanobis]] in 1953. The plan attempted to determine the optimal allocation of
investment between productive sectors in order to maximise long-run economic growth .
It used the prevalent state of art techniques of operations research and optimization as
well as the novel applications of statistical models developed at the Indian Statiatical
Institute.
[[Hydroelectricity|Hydroelectric power]] projects and five steel mills at [[Bhilai]],
[[Durgapur]], and [[Rourkela]] were established. [[Coal]] production was increased. More
[[Rail transport|railway]] lines were added in the north east.The [[Atomic Energy
Commission of India|Atomic Energy Commission]] was formed in 1957 with [[Homi J.
Bhabha]] as the first chairman. The [[Tata Institute of Fundamental Research]] was
established as a [[research institute]]. In 1957 a talent search and [[scholarship]]
program was begun to find talented young students to train for work in nuclear power.
The third plan stressed on agriculture and improving production of rice, but the brief
[[Sino-Indian War]] in 1962 exposed weaknesses in the economy and shifted the focus
towards [[Defense industry|defense]]. In 1965-1966, the [[Green Revolution in India]]
advanced agriculture. The war led to inflation and the priority was shifted to [[price
stabilization]]. The construction of [[dam]]s continued. Many [[cement]] and [[fertilizer]]
plants were also built. [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]] begun producing an abundance of
[[wheat]].
At this time [[Indira Gandhi]] was the [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]]. The
Indira Gandhi government [[Nationalization|nationalized]] 19 major Indian banks. In
addition, the situation in [[East Pakistan]] (now independent [[Bangladesh]]) was
becoming dire as the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]] and [[Bangladesh Liberation War]]
took place.
Funds earmarked for the industrial development had to be used for the war effort. India
also performed the [[Smiling Buddha]] [[Underground nuclear testing|underground
nuclear test]] in 1974, partially in response to the [[United States]] deployment of the
[[United States Seventh Fleet|Seventh Fleet]] in the [[Bay of Bengal]] to warn India
against attacking [[West Pakistan]] and widening the war.
Fifth plan (1974-1979)
Stress was laid on [[employment]], [[poverty]] alleviation, and [[justice]]. The plan also
focused on [[self-reliance]] in agricultural production and defense. In 1978 the newly
elected [[Morarji Desai]] government rejected the plan.
Electricity Supply Act was enacted in 1975, which enabled the Central Government to
enter into power generation and transmission.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}
Called the [[Janata Party|Janata]] government plan, the sixth plan marked a reversal of
the Nehruvian model.
When [[Rajiv Gandhi]] was elected as the prime minister, the young prime minister
aimed for rapid industrial development, especially in the area of [[information
technology]]. Progress was slow, however, partly because of caution on the part of labor
and [[Communist Party of India|communist]] leaders.The [[Indian highways|Indian
national highway system]] was introduced for the first time and many roads were
widened to accommodate the increasing [[traffic]]. [[Tourism in India|Tourism]] also
expanded.The sixth plan also marked the beginning of [[economic liberalization]]. [[Price
control]]s were eliminated and ration shops were closed. This led to an increase in food
prices and an increased [[cost of living]]. [[Family planning]] also was expanded in order
to prevent [[overpopulation]]. In contrast to China's harshly-enforced [[one-child policy]],
Indian policy did not rely on the threat of force. More prosperous areas of India adopted
family planning more rapidly than less prosperous areas, which continued to have a
high [[birth rate]].
Seventh plan (1985-1989)
The Seventh Plan marked the comeback of the [[Indian National Congress|Congress]]
Party to power. The plan lay stress on improving the productivity level of industries by
upgradation of [[technology]].
1989-91 was a period of political instability in India and hence no five year plan was
implemented. Between 1990 and 1992, there were only Annual Plans. In 1991, India
faced a crisis in [[Foreign Exchange]] (Forex) reserves, left with reserves of only about
$1 billion (US). Thus, under pressure, the country took the risk of reforming the socialist
economy. [[P.V. Narasimha Rao]])(28 June 1921 – 23 December 2004) also called
Father of Indian Economic Reforms was the twelfth Prime Minister of the Republic of
India and head of [[Congress Party]], and led one of the most important administrations
in India's modern history overseeing a major economic transformation and several
incidents affecting national security. At that time Dr. [[Manmohan Singh]] (currently,
Prime Minister of India) launched India's free market reforms that brought the nearly
bankrupt nation back from the edge. It was the beginning of [[privatization]] and
[[liberalization]] in India.
[[Modernization]] of industries was a major highlight of the Eighth Plan. Under this plan,
the gradual opening of the Indian economy was undertaken to correct the burgeoning
[[deficit]] and foreign debt. Meanwhile India became a member of the [[World Trade
Organization]] on 1 January 1995.This plan can be termed as Rao and Manmohan
model of Economic development.
An average annual growth rate of 6.7%against the target 5.6% was achieved.
Ninth plan (1997-2002)
During the Ninth Plan period, the growth rate was 5.35 per cent, a percentage point
lower than the target GDP growth of 6.5 per cent.
*Providing gainful and high-quality employment at least to the addition to the labour
force;
* All children in india in school by 2003; all children to complete 5 years of schooling by
2007;
* Reduction in gender gaps in literacy and wage rates by at least 50% by 2007;
* Reduction in the decadal rate of population growth between 2001 and 2011 to 16.2%;
* Increase in Literacy Rates to 75 per cent within the Tenth Plan period (2002-3 to 2006-
7);
* Reduction of Infant mortality rate (IMR) to 45 per 1000 live births by 2007 and to 28 by
2012;
* Reduction of Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) to 2 per 1000 live births by 2007 and to 1
by 2012;
* Increase in forest and tree cover to 25 per cent by 2007 and 33 per cent by 2012;
* All villages to have sustained access to potable drinking water within the Plan period;
* Cleaning of all major polluted rivers by 2007 and other notified stretches by 2012;
* Economic Growth further accelerated during this period and crosses over 8% by
2006.
Eleventh plan (2007-2012)
#*Accelerate [[GDP]] growth from 8% to 10% and then maintain at 10% in the 12th Plan
in order to double per capita income by 2016-17
#*Increase agricultural GDP growth rate to 4% per year to ensure a broader spread of
benefits
#Education
#*Reduce dropout rates of children from elementary school from 52.2% in 2003-04 to
20% by 2011-12
#*Increase the percentage of each cohort going to higher education from the present
10% to 15% by the end of the plan
#Health
#*Reduce [[infant mortality rate]] to 28 and [[Maternal death|maternal mortality ratio]] to
1 per 1000 live births
#*Provide clean drinking water for all by 2009 and ensure that there are no slip-backs
#*Reduce [[malnutrition]] among children of age group 0-3 to half its present level
#*Reduce [[anaemia]] among women and girls by 50% by the end of the plan
#*Raise the sex ratio for age group 0-6 to 935 by 2011-12 and to 950 by 2016-17
#*Ensure that at least 33 percent of the direct and indirect beneficiaries of all
government schemes are women and girl children
#*Ensure that all children enjoy a safe childhood, without any compulsion to work
#Infrastructure
#*Ensure all-weather road connection to all habitation with population 1000 and above
(500 in hilly and tribal areas) by 2009, and ensure coverage of all significant habitation
by 2015
#*Provide homestead sites to all by 2012 and step up the pace of house construction for
rural poor to cover all the poor by 2016-17
#Environment