Approach to the Fifth Plan First Impressions

"THE Approach to the Fifth Plan" is an important document both for what it explicitly states and what it does not. For the first time the Planning Commission has presented an estimate of the direct and indirect foreign exchange re- quirements attributable to selective changes in the consumption pattern of the upper strata of Indian society; and attention has been focused on it as a major consideration governing the choice between the alternative patterns of growth that might be considered in the preparation of the Plan. Viewed against the background of the earlier policy formulations relating to planning in India this represents a significant contribution.