Samipya 1991 Vol 08 Ank 01 02

Author(s): Pravinchandra C Parikh, Bhartiben Shelat
Publisher: Bholabhai Jeshingbhai Adhyayan Sanshodhan Vidyabhavan

Page 90

Socialistic Pattern of Society :
The next event of importance was the adoption by Loksabha in December, 1954 of a resolution declaring that the object of the country's economic policy should be socialistic pattern of society. The Loksabha resolution was followed in January, 1955 by a similar resolution on the socialistic pattern of society at the Avadi session of the Congress. But the term "Socialistic pattern" was not defined. The nearest definition of the term came in the second Five year plan which stated : "Essentially this (Socialistic Pattern of society) means that the basic criterion for determining the line of advance must not be private profit but social gain, and that the pattern of development and the structure of socio-economic relations should be so planned that they result not only in appreciable increases in the national income and employment, but also in greater equality in incomes and wealth."18
The results of the Second General Elections in the spring of 1957, proved that the people endorsed the socialistic pattern of society. He introduced the idea of cooperative farming at the Nagpur Congress in 1959. Unfortunately the opposition of yested interests frustrated the measure of cooperative farming. In fact, it was not started and argued that it was not suited to India. The benefits of the two Five year Plans did not percolate sufficiently to the poorest strata of society. The cities had profited as compared to agricultural regions. Agricultural labour had deteriorated in its position. Even the earnings of factory labour had not made any significant progress in 1959 as compared to 1951. Only the trader and the industrialist appeared to have done well.19 - The last Congress which Nehru attended was the one at Bhubaneshwar in January, 1964. Emphasis was placed once again on the cooperative form of organistion in agriculture. The Congress also showed awareness of the monopolist tendencies in the industrial sphere, and the growing disparity in income distribution generally.
Seventeen years of Nehru's era :
The five year Plans during Nehru's leadership were by no means unimpressive. The net national output had risen between 1948-49 and 1961-62 by 47.1 percent. and the per capita income during the period by 18 per cent. The process of madernisation was set in. It was Nehru who introduced the concept of planning for economic development of the country. He laid the foundation for orderly development of scienee and technology also.
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Inspite of the undoubted achievements in several spheres, progress towards a socialist transformation of society was not only tardy but was hardly discernible. Income distribution showed no less disparity than before, after years of socialist endeavour, concentration in industries increased. The agraian economy infact showed
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[Samapya 1 April, '91-March, 1992