INDUSTRIAL GROWTH IN INDIA— PERFORMANCE AND PROSPECTS J.C. Sandesara* ‘(University of Bombay) India is often described as a major industrialized economy. This description is based on the absolute values of certain indicators of industrial growth, Thus, for example, in terms of value added in manufacturing with its value of U. S. § 15,068 million in 1978, India ranked 4th in the list of 92 countries." In terms of employment in manufacturing, with the number of 5.8 million in 1979, it was 6th in the list of 92 countries.’ And in terms of the scientific and technical manpower, with the number of 1.17 million it stood I 1th in the list of ‘72. countries.” Industrial production during the pre~independence period took place without a proper framework of policy and planning. Industrial production during the period 1900-46 is estimated to have grown at the poor rate of 2 per-cent per annum.! At Independence, we hada slender industrial base, That base was domifiated by small industry. And the limnited large industry part of that base was to be found by and large in consumer goods industries, in private sector and in a few regions. The highly lepsided or unbalanced character of that bi underlined by the absence or relative unimportance of basic and capital goods industries, of public sector and of wide-spread spatial distribution. The achievements described above have, therefore, to be attributed largely to the remarkable strides India has made in the field of industry and related and supporting activities during the period of thres and a half decades since Independence. In the period since Independence, industrial growth and develop- ment have been guided within the broad framework of Industrial Policy Resolutions and the Five Year Plans, We had the 1948, and have currently the 1956 Industrial Policy Resolutions. We have com- pleted the five Five-Year Plans and are in the midst of the Sixth Five- ‘Year Plan. The policy and plans have been supported by massive Copyright (c) 2008 ProQuest LLC Copyright (c) Indian Economic Association