Abstract:
The Regional Planning anIdevelopment in India. may be said to have been given official recogniriltion sometimes in the mid-fiftees when 'The_Vousing and Regional Planning. Panel of the Planning CoMmission (1955)' recommended' that delineation of suitable regions for development purposes for the whole country be undertaken followed by preparation of development plam for each of the regions. Successively third, fourth,
fifth and sixth five year National plans ' �â� �¢ recognised the need for the development programmes in the country to be conceived in terms of regions (spatial), defined by economic, social and geographical considerations. Growing imbalances in the development from state to state or region to Tegion or area to area necessiated the realisation, of such programmes. Consequently, the Strategies for regional development and planning have beer set in the past five year plans. Division of the country into planning regions at macro, memo and micro levels as also the preparation of regional plans for some of priority areas in the country were sponsored under five year plans. While there have been only sporadic reference to rural-urban relations in the First and Second plan documents, the Third plan contained chapters on 'Balenced Regional Development', and 'Housing and Urban and Rural Planning'. The Fourth plan referred at length to the need for redressing.................
