Which of the following was a key element of India’s Second Five-Year Plan (1956-1961)?

📘 Explanation / व्याख्या:

The Second Five-Year Plan (1956–1961) focused mainly on heavy industrialisation. It aimed to develop large-scale industries such as steel, machine tools, heavy engineering, and mining to build a strong industrial base for the country.

This plan was based on the Mahalanobis Model, developed by statistician P.C. Mahalanobis. The model emphasized investment in capital goods industries, believing that long-term economic growth would come from strengthening the industrial sector.

द्वितीय पंचवर्षीय योजना (1956–1961) का मुख्य उद्देश्य भारी उद्योगों का विकास था। इस योजना में इस्पात, मशीन टूल्स, भारी इंजीनियरिंग और खनन जैसे बड़े उद्योगों को प्राथमिकता दी गई ताकि देश का मजबूत औद्योगिक आधार तैयार हो सके।

यह योजना पी.सी. महालनोबिस मॉडल पर आधारित थी, जिसमें पूंजीगत वस्तु उद्योगों के विकास पर जोर दिया गया।

🌟 Extra Facts / अतिरिक्त तथ्य:

1️⃣ Major Industrial Projects / प्रमुख औद्योगिक परियोजनाएँ

During this plan, major public sector steel plants were established:

• Bhilai Steel Plant (with Soviet Union assistance)

• Durgapur Steel Plant (with UK assistance)

• Rourkela Steel Plant (with German assistance)

2️⃣ Role of Public Sector / सार्वजनिक क्षेत्र की भूमिका

• The plan strengthened the Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).

• It promoted a socialistic pattern of society, as declared in the 1955 Avadi Resolution of the Indian National Congress.

3️⃣ Growth Rate / विकास दर

• The target growth rate was around 4.5%, and the actual growth achieved was approximately 4%.

4️⃣ Comparison with Other Plans / अन्य योजनाओं से तुलना

• First Plan (1951–56) → Focused on agriculture

• Second Plan (1956–61) → Focused on heavy industries

• Third Plan (1961–66) → Focused on self-sufficiency in food grains

📌 Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

• ❌ Service sector expansion → Not the main focus at that time

• ❌ Promoting private sector growth → Emphasis was more on public sector

• ❌ Poverty alleviation → Became major focus in later plans (especially Fifth Plan)