Page 235 - DSOC201_SOCIAL_STRUCTURE_AND_SOCIAL_CHANGE_ENGLISH

Social Structure and Social Change

Notes After independence, the Government of India appointed the Planning Commission in 1950 to
coordinate all state and central plans. The Commission was to: (i) determine priorities, (ii) plan balanced
utilization of the country’s resources, (iii) make an assessment of the material, capital and human
resources of the country, (iv) assess the progress achieved from time to time and recommend
readjustment, and (v) identify factors which retard economic development.
Since its inception, the Planning Commission has so far prepared eight Five Year Plans, each focusing
on different objectives. For example, when the First Five Year Plan launched in April 1951 emphasized
on agricultural development, the Second Five Year Plan emphasized on heavy industrial development,
while the remaining six plans concentrated on both agricultural and industrial development. Other
priorities of the Five Year Plans for the induced change were: family planning, increasing employment
opportunities, increasing annual national income by 5 per cent to 7 per cent, growth of basic industries
(like, steel, power, chemicals), maximum use of manpower resources, decentralization of economic
power, reducing inequalities in income distribution, achieving social justice with equality, and so on.
It could be said that the central objective of planning in India has been to raise the standard of living
of the people and to open out to them opportunities for a richer and more varied life.
But has planning in India achieved the objectives of planned change? During the period of forty-
three years of planning, the average rate of economic growth has been 3.5 per cent. Though it is not
bad in comparison to the world’s average of 4 per cent, it is definitely poor in comparison to the
average of the developing countries of 7 per cent to 10 percent. During 1951 to 1991 (that is, at the end
of the Seventh Five Year Plan in April 1992), our national income had increased by about 3.5 per cent.
Though the government claims that the number of people below the poverty line has reduced by
about 15 per cent between 1972 and 1992 but since the number of unemployed people registered in
employment exchanges has increased from 4.37 lakh in 1952 to 50.99 lakh in 1971, 178 lakh in 1981
and 334 lakh in 1990 (India Today, May 31, 1991: 117), we cannot concede that objectives of planned
change have been achieved and the quality of life of the people has been improved. No wonder, more
people feel frustrated today and the number of agitations is increasing every year. We have to wait
and watch before we decide to give planning a long holiday.
Following Ronald Lippit (1958: 96-99), it may be pointed out that certain principles have to be put
into practice if a development programme has to be made successful. Some of the important principles
are: (i) development proposals and procedures should be mutually consistent, (ii) the goals of
development must be stated in terms that have positive value to the community, (iii) the planners
must have a thorough knowledge of the beliefs and values of the community’s culture, (iv)
development must take the whole community into account, (v) the community must be an active
partner in the development process, and (vi) communication and co-ordination between various
agencies of development is essential. The countries, including Japan and Germany, which have done
better are those which have no planning commissions and have no plans. Should India follow the
same path?
10.4 Nature of Social Change

Have we realized our collective goals? Indian society was described as traditional society till the first
quarter of the twentieth century. Though the British Government did industrialize our country and
introduced several economic and social changes, but it was not interested in raising the quality of life
of the people. Have we succeeded in modernizing our society after political independence? If yes,
what has been the pattern of social change or modernization? This question can be answered first by
trying to understand what is a traditional society and what is a modern society?
A traditional society is one in which (i) the status of a person is determined by birth and is fixed, that
is, individuals do not strive for social mobility; (ii) individual’s behaviour is governed by custom and
ways of behaviour of people vary only slightly from generation to generation; (iii) social organization
is based on hierarchy; (iv) individual identifies himself with primary groups and kinship relations
predominate in interaction; (v) individual is given more importance in social relations than his position
(vi) people are conservative; (vii) economy is simple and economic productivity above subsistence is
relatively low; and (viii) mythical thought predominates in society.

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