Top Features of
Indian Economy
• The following points highlight the top seven features of Indian economy being a
mixed economy.
• The features are:
1. Co-Existence of Public and Private Sector
2. Role of Market Mechanism
3. Public Sector Participation for Giant Industries
4. Government Control and Regulation of Private Sector
5. Economic Planning
6. Control of Monopoly
7. Reduction of Economic Inequalities.
Co-Existence of Public and Private Sector
• Co-existence of large public sector along with free enterprises under private sector has
transformed the economy into a mixed one. Industrial Policy, 1948 and 1956 formulated by
the Government of India has made provision for such co-existence. Some strategic basic
and heavy industries are being run under the public sector.
• Moreover, there is a huge private sector under which a good number of industries are
being managed from the very beginning. These industries include cotton textiles, jute,
sugar, vegetable oil, cement, food processing, leather etc. Moreover, with the liberalisation
of Indian economy, the scope of private sector has further enhanced.
Role of Market Mechanism
• In India, market mechanism has been playing a predominant role. Prices of various commodities
are determined by market forces, future expectations etc. But the market mechanism in India is
again not completely free from state control. Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951
has introduced a regulatory system for the industrial activity of the country.
• Besides, the government has introduced certain controls and incentive measures for influencing
the market decision. These include— budgetary measures, import controls, establishment of fair
price shops for the distribution of essential commodities at reasonable prices, purchase of
agricultural commodities by the government at minimum support prices.
Public Sector Participation for Giant Industries
• Just after independence, as the country was suffering from low
level of investment, backward infrastructural facilities, poor
rate of industrialisation etc. thus the country was suffering
from low level equilibrium trap. In order to rescue the economy
from such low level equilibrium trap, the intervention of the
state in industrial activity was imperative.
• Accordingly, a good number of public sector enterprises has been developed to run, some
basic and heavy industries, transport system, energy projects etc. particularly after the
introduction of Industrial Policy, 1956. Public enterprises at present constitute a major
national capability in terms of their scale of operations, coverage of the national economy,
technological capabilities and stock of human capital.
• Around 50 per cent investments were made in the State sector during the last four and a
half decades. Presence of such a giant public sector has not made any significant deviation
in the character of the economy rather it has converted the economy into a mixed
economy which is basically a variant of capitalistic economy.
Government Control and Regulation of Private Sector
• In India, the private sector, which is managing the big segment
of industrial sector, is not totally free in its operation. The
government started to control and regulate the private sector
since independence through its various industrial, monetary
and fiscal policies.
• Licensing system which was introduced as an instrument of
investment and output during the first decade of economic
planning has been gradually liberalised particularly after the
introduction of Industrial Policy, 1991 through its clause of
delicensing under the present regime of economic reforms.
• Thus in a mixed economy like India, the government controls
and regulates the private sector exclusively in the interest of
the nation.
Economic Planning
• Adoption of economic planning by Indian economy has been considered
as one of the important characteristics of a mixed economy.
• Although planned economies are sometimes mistakenly characterised as
socialist economies but it is a common characteristic of both socialist and
mixed economy retaining its capitalistic structure. In India, economic
planning has been adopted since last six decades in a basically capitalistic
economic framework.
• Moreover, economic planning in India has covered both the public as well as the private
sector. In Indian planning, there is no compulsion rather it laid down some targets for all
the important sectors and tries to achieve those targets.
• Charles Bettlcheim in this connection observed,
• “Indian plans attempt to define as precisely as possible the government’s agricultural, economic
and industrial policies for the following five years. The government and its administration
naturally want to fulfil as much of the plan as possible, but they may adopt measures very
different to those suggested by the original plan without violating any legal obligations.”
• Thus economic planning as implemented in India during last six decades is guided
mainly by the objectives of attaining higher rate of economic growth, employment
generation, poverty alleviation along with other objectives but not to alter the basic
character of the economy of the country.
Control of Monopoly
• Controlling monopoly trade is one of the characteristic features of
mixed economy. In India, monopoly houses have grown in its size
and capacity rapidly since independence. Monopoly Enquiry
Commission in its report observed that in 1963-64, 75 big business
houses of the country has controlled 44 per cent (Rs 2,606 crore) of
the total paid up capital of all non-government and non-banking
companies.
• In order to control such concentration of economic power into
a few hands, the government has enacted the Monopolies
Restrictive Trade Practices (MRTP) Act, 1969. Inspite of that,
the government has not been able to contain the growth of
assets of such big business houses. At the end of December
1992, Tata and Birla have gained the control over capital assets
to the extent of Rs 8.531 crore and Rs 8,473 crore respectively.
Reduction of Economic Inequalities
• Economic inequalities are the characteristic features of capitalistic economy.
Inequalities in the distribution of income and wealth of the extreme degree are
economically harmful, socially unjust and politically undesirable. Extreme
inequalities reduce social welfare and generate class-conflicts.
• Indian economy being a mixed economy has undertaken various measures for the
reduction of economic inequalities in the distribution of income and wealth. In
this direction, the Government has imposed direct taxes at progressive rates
through income tax, tax on capital gains, wealth tax, death duties, gift tax etc.
• Again in order to provide necessary support to the poorer
sections of the society, the Government has undertaken
various welfare measures like free medical facilities, free
education, old age pensions, widow pensions along with other
poverty alleviation programmes. But in spite of all these, mixed
economic framework in India has accentuated economic
inequalities.
Characteristics of
Indian Economy
Low per Capita Income
• India’s per capita income is very less as compare to developed
countries.
• As per the estimates of the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the per
capita net national income of the country at current prices for the
year 2015-16 is estimated to attain the level of Rs. 93231/-.
• The per capita net national income at constant prices (2011-12) for
the year 2015-16 is estimated to attain the level of Rs. 77, 431/-.
Agriculture Based Economy
• Agriculture and allied sectors provide around 14.2% of Indian
GDP while 53% of total Indian population is based on the
agriculture sector.
Over population
• In every decade Indian population get increased by about 20% .
• During the 2001-11 population increased by 17.6%.
• Currently India is adding the total population of Australia every
year.
• India is the possessor of around 17.5% population of the whole
world.
Income Disparities
• A report released by Credit Suisse revealed that the richest 1%
Indians owned 53% of the country’s wealth, while the share of
the top 10% was 76.30%.
• To put it differently, in a manner that conveys the political
economy of this stunning statistic, 90% of India owns less than
a quarter of the country’s wealth.
Lack of Capital Formation
• Rate of capital formation is low because of lower level of
income.
• Gross domestic capital formation was 23.3% in 1993-94
increased up to the level of 38.1% in 2007-08 but declined up
to 34.8% in 2012-13.
Backwardness of Infrastructural Development
• As per an recent study, 25% of Indian families don’t have reach
of electricity.
• 97 million peoples don’t have reach of safe drinking water.
• 840 million people in India don't have sanitation services.
• India needs 100 million dollar for infrastructural development
up to 2025.
Market Imperfections
• Indian economy doesn’t have good mobility from one place to
other which hinders the optimum utilization of resources.
• These market imperfections create the fluctuations in the price
of commodities every year.
Economy is Trapped in the Vicious Circle of Poverty
• Prof. Ragner Nurkes says that ‘a country is poor because it is
poor’.
• It means poor countries are trapped in the vicious circle of
poverty.
Use of Outdated Technology
• It is very clear that Indian production technique is more labour
oriented in nature.
• So it increases the cost of production of the products made in
these countries.
Traditional Set Up of Society
• Indian societies are trapped in the menace like casteism,
communalist, male dominated society, superstitions, lack of
entrepreneurship, and ‘chalta hai attitude’ of the peoples.
• These all factors hindered the growth of the country as a
whole.
