As always, the 11th plan too focused on elementary, secondary, and higher education. Plus, improving the quality of education was also the target. The literacy rate, which as per the census of 2001 stood at 64.8 percent with a gap of 21.6 percentage points between males and females at national level, grew to just 74.04 percent in 2011 indicating a decadal growth of mere 9 per cent in the decade.
Reducing malnutrition to half its present level, Infant Mortality Rate to 28 per live births and Total Fertility rate to 2.1 percent, and access of clean drinking water to all was the goal of the 11th plan in the health domain. It is appalling that the World Bank has estimated India as one of the highest ranking countries in the world in terms of children suffering from malnutrition. Access to clean water was also far than achievable.
In terms of employment generation, the plan aimed at generating 58 million work prospects during 2007 to 2012. The rate of unemployment, on the contrary, reached an all-time high of 9.4 percent in December 2010. MGNREGA scheme was introduced, which has been creating artificial work prospects for the rural population, and in turn is broadening the economic gap.
Other areas of focus for the 11th plan were social justice, rural development, infrastructure, energy, transport, science and technology, environment and forest, water resources, urban development, and women?s agency and child rights. The planners though were smart enough to project healthy figures in terms of development, most of the domains witnessed decline even from the previous figures.
It is shocking to note that the government assesses the mid-term achievements/ drawbacks of the five year plans, however overall appraisal post five years can nowhere be found. Either, the planners and those responsible for the execution of the plans are assured enough that the goals envisaged would be attained, or they realize the ambiguity of their vision and expertise at the very beginning of the plan. Else, aims like infrastructure, rural, and urban development would not have been threatening for the so-called intellectuals to handle.
Good governance advocates not just planning and implementation, but also the appraisal and control of the devised plan so as to curb any deviations from the projected outcomes. Plus, in case the planning squad could not deliver feasible and effectual plans, surely the change of personnel should be looked for.