Developmental ideas are always full of discussions, arguments and controversies. It is natural that the concept of development will be different to different people. The concept of an industrialist who wants to start a steel industry in a particular place and the concept of an Adivasi living in that area won’t be similar. Therefore, in the first twenty years of independence, a lot of discussions took place on the issue of development.

At this time both experts and ordinary people looked at the development of the Western countries as the model to emulate. They thought that India too should go forward as the Western countries on the path of development. They thought that it would then be necessary to bring about some changes in the social and cultural outlooks of the country. Capitalism and Liberalization would come. Growth, prosperity and technology were related to these things. Based on these criteria counties were categorized as developed, developing and undeveloped.

Our leaders thought that our developmental policies must be different from those of the colonial mindset. The priorities of the government were eradication of poverty and social and economic security. At the time of independence we had two models of development to choose from the capitalist model and the socialist model. In India, the Communist Party, Socialist Party and Nehru preferred the Russian model of development. But some wanted the American model. Therefore we chose a mixed model, amalgamating the two models.