Five Year Plans of India - Community Health Nursing 1

Background and Purpose

• India adopted economic and social planning after independence, modeled on the Soviet planning model.
• The Planning Commission was established in March 1950 under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister.
• The plans set national priorities for health, education, agriculture, industry, and infrastructure.
• Health planning in India aimed at building infrastructure, reducing disease burden, expanding primary health care, and improving maternal and child health.

Overview of All 12 Five Year Plans (Health Focus)

1st Five Year Plan (1951 - 1956)

• Theme: Agriculture and rehabilitation
• Health Budget: Rs. 140 crore
• Health Highlights:
  • Focus on improving water supply and sanitation
  • Malaria control program launched
  • Establishment of Primary Health Centers (PHCs)
  • BCG vaccination campaign started
  • Bhore Committee recommendations (1946) were implemented - aimed at providing health services within 1 mile of every individual
  • District health services were organized

2nd Five Year Plan (1956 - 1961)

• Theme: Industrial development (Nehru-Mahalanobis model)
• Health Budget: Rs. 225 crore
• Health Highlights:
  • Expansion of PHC network
  • Integration of health and family planning services began
  • National Malaria Eradication Programme (NMEP) launched (1958)
  • Mudaliar Committee appointed (1959) to review health progress
  • Training of health workers at rural level emphasized

3rd Five Year Plan (1961 - 1966)

• Theme: Self-reliance and self-sustained growth
• Health Highlights:
  • Mudaliar Committee Report implemented - recommended one PHC per 40,000 population
  • Emphasis on training of paramedical workers
  • National Smallpox Eradication Programme
  • Family planning programs strengthened
  • Trachoma control program started

Plan Holidays / Annual Plans (1966 - 1969)

• Due to wars (1962, 1965) and famine, the 4th plan was deferred.
• Three Annual Plans were followed during this period.

4th Five Year Plan (1969 - 1974)

• Theme: Growth with stability and progressive achievement of self-reliance
• Health Budget: Rs. 430 crore
• Health Highlights:
  • Chadah Committee Report - reorganization of PHCs
  • Family Planning given high priority (target-based approach)
  • Minimum Needs Programme (MNP) introduced
  • Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) groundwork
  • Rural health infrastructure development continued

5th Five Year Plan (1974 - 1979)

• Theme: Removal of poverty (Garibi Hatao)
• Health Highlights:
  • Community Health Workers (CHW) scheme introduced (1977) - later became ASHAs
  • Health for All by 2000 AD - Alma Ata Declaration (1978) inspired reforms
  • Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) launched in 1975
  • Rural Health Scheme (RHS) started
  • Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy (ISM&H) integrated

Rolling Plan (1978 - 1980)

• Implemented during the Janata Party government.
• Emphasized basic minimum needs for the poor.

6th Five Year Plan (1980 - 1985)

• Theme: Minimum needs and poverty alleviation
• Health Highlights:
  • Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) launched in 1985
  • Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) for diarrhea control
  • National Diarrheal Disease Control Programme
  • Health for All by 2000 AD goal reinforced
  • Shrivastav Committee recommendations on CHWs
  • Strengthening of CHCs (Community Health Centers)
  • National Health Policy (NHP) 1983 formulated

7th Five Year Plan (1985 - 1990)

• Theme: Social justice and food, work, and productivity
• Health Budget: Rs. 3,392 crore
• Health Highlights:
  • Technology Mission on health (Immunization, ORS, Literacy, Oilseeds)
  • AIDS Control Programme started (NACO established - 1992 post-plan)
  • Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) forerunner programs
  • Expansion of PHC/CHC/Sub-center network
  • Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) program groundwork

Annual Plans (1990 - 1992)

• Followed due to economic and political instability.

8th Five Year Plan (1992 - 1997)

• Theme: Human development
• Health Highlights:
  • Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) Programme launched
  • HIV/AIDS control programs strengthened
  • National Oral Health Programme
  • National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB) strengthened
  • Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) promoted
  • Reform of family planning to "family welfare" approach
  • Pulse Polio Programme launched in 1995

9th Five Year Plan (1997 - 2002)

• Theme: Growth with social justice and equity
• Health Highlights:
  • National Population Policy 2000 formulated
  • RCH Phase I completed
  • National Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP precursor)
  • Introduction of Hepatitis B vaccine in immunization
  • Kala-azar and Japanese Encephalitis control programs
  • Leprosy Elimination Campaign (target: elimination by 2005)

10th Five Year Plan (2002 - 2007)

• Theme: Growth with equity and social justice
• Health Highlights:
  • National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) 2005 launched (during this plan period)
  • ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers introduced
  • Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) for institutional deliveries
  • IMR target: reduce to 45 per 1,000 live births
  • MMR target: reduce to 200 per 1,00,000 live births
  • Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) for PHC/CHC formulated

11th Five Year Plan (2007 - 2012)

• Theme: Towards faster and more inclusive growth
• Target GDP Growth: 9% (Actual: 8%)
• Health Highlights:
  • NRHM expanded and strengthened
  • Free drugs and diagnostics at government facilities
  • National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) planning initiated
  • Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) - health insurance for BPL
  • National Programme for Non-Communicable Diseases
  • Establishment of AIIMS-like institutes in states
  • Increase in health spending to 2-3% of GDP targeted
  • Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committees (VHSNCs) formed

12th Five Year Plan (2012 - 2017)

• Theme: Faster, more inclusive, and sustainable growth
• Health Highlights:
  • National Health Mission (NHM) = NRHM + NUHM combined
  • Universal Health Coverage (UHC) as the overarching goal
  • Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) groundwork (Ayushman Bharat later)
  • Free essential medicines and diagnostics policy
  • Reduction of Out-of-Pocket (OOP) expenditure
  • IMR target: reduce to 25 per 1,000 live births
  • MMR target: reduce to 100 per 1,00,000 live births
  • Health spending target: 2.5% of GDP
  • Human resources for health: increase nurses, doctors, paramedics

After 12th Five Year Plan - NITI Aayog

• After 2017, the Planning Commission was dissolved and replaced by NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India).
• India now follows National Development Plans with 15-year vision documents and 3-year action agendas.
• The current framework is guided by National Health Policy 2017 and SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).

Key Committees Related to Five Year Plans (Exam Important)

Key Health Indicators - Trends Across Plans

Health Care Delivery System (Linked to Five Year Plans)

• Sub-Center (SC): 1 per 3,000-5,000 population (plains); ANM + Male Health Worker
• Primary Health Center (PHC): 1 per 20,000-30,000 population; Medical Officer + staff
• Community Health Center (CHC): 1 per 80,000-1,20,000 population; 30-bed facility with specialists
• District Hospital: Secondary-level referral
• Medical College Hospital: Tertiary level

Exam Tips - Important Points to Remember

1. Planning Commission was established in March 1950.
2. 12 Five Year Plans were implemented (1951-2017).
3. ICDS was launched in 1975 (5th plan).
4. National Health Policy was first formulated in 1983 (6th plan period).
5. NRHM was launched in 2005 (10th plan).
6. Pulse Polio started in 1995 (8th plan).
7. Universal Immunization Programme started in 1985 (6th plan).
8. The 12th plan focused on Universal Health Coverage.
9. NITI Aayog replaced Planning Commission in 2015.
10. Community Health Workers (CHW) scheme (forerunner of ASHA) started in 1977.

Note: India officially replaced Five Year Plans with NITI Aayog's 15-year Vision Document + 7-year Strategy + 3-year Action Agenda from 2017 onward. The National Health Policy 2017 currently guides India's health planning.