Q1. Which of the following statements is true regarding the erstwhile Planning Commission of India?
- It was a constitutional body established under Article 280
- It was a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament
- It was an executive body established by a Cabinet resolution
- It was an autonomous institution with financial powers
Correct Option: 3. It was an executive body established by a Cabinet resolution.
Explanation: The Planning Commission was established in March 1950 by an executive resolution of the Government of India. It was neither constitutional nor statutory, and it had no executive authority, functioning only as an advisory body.
Q2. Who was the de facto executive head of the erstwhile Planning Commission?
- The President of India
- The Finance Minister
- The Prime Minister
- The Deputy Chairman
Correct Option: 4. The Deputy Chairman.
Explanation: While the Prime Minister was the formal Chairman of the Planning Commission, the Deputy Chairman acted as the de facto executive head. He was a full-time functional head responsible for drafting and presenting Five-Year Plans and had the rank of a Cabinet Minister, though he was not a cabinet member.
Q3. Which of the following was not one of the functions of the National Development Council (NDC)?
- To implement Five-Year Plans directly
- To promote common economic policies in vital spheres
- To consider important questions of national development
- To review the working of the national plan periodically
Correct Option: 1. To implement Five-Year Plans directly.
Explanation: The NDC was an advisory body and had no executive function. Its role was to consider, review, and recommend—not to implement—plans. The implementation of plans rested with the Central and State Governments.
Q4. Which of the following criticisms was not directed at the erstwhile Planning Commission?
- It functioned like a “Super Cabinet”
- It promoted cooperative federalism by including state representation
- It led to a unitary drift in the federal structure
- It overlapped in fiscal functions with the Finance Commission
Correct Option: 2. It promoted cooperative federalism by including state representation.
Explanation: The Planning Commission had no representation from state governments and was wholly Centre-constituted. This was a key criticism, as it undermined cooperative federalism. Critics, including K. Santhanam and the ARC, felt it centralized power and created a unitary bias in India’s federal setup.
Q5. What is the correct sequence in the approval of the Five-Year Plan as mentioned in the context of NDC?
- Planning Commission → NDC → Union Cabinet → Parliament
- Union Cabinet → Parliament → NDC → Gazette
- Planning Commission → Union Cabinet → NDC → Parliament
- NDC → Planning Commission → Parliament → Union Cabinet
Correct Option: 3. Planning Commission → Union Cabinet → NDC → Parliament.
Explanation: The process of plan approval was as follows:
1. Planning Commission prepares the Draft Plan.
2. It is submitted to the Union Cabinet for approval.
3. Then placed before the National Development Council (NDC).
4. After NDC’s acceptance, it is placed before the Parliament for final approval and publication in the official Gazette.