India's economy after the elections

India's economic policies are not likely to change markedly as a result of the November elections. An annual growth rate of 6% is the official target of India's Eighth Five Year Plan (1990-95). It reflects both confidence gained by the much faster growth of the 1980s and a need for rapid progress to improve welfare. Growth is to be achieved primarily by continuing the 1980s policies. There are several major goals for the year 2000: self-sufficiency in virtually all agricultural requirements, eliminating absolute poverty, population growth reduced to replacement rate, providing potable water to every village, immunising every child. In this Briefing Paper we examine the prospects for achieving these goals in the light of recent experience.