How Inclusive has Growth been in India during 1993/94-2009/10? Implications for XII Plan Strategy

India’s Eleventh (2007-2011/12) and the Twelfth Five-Year Plans (2012/13-2017/18) have emerged as being distinct from the earlier Five-Year Plans in so far as these Plans had the goal of inclusiveness at the core of the growth strategy. This paper reviews the current understanding of the concept of inclusive growth, the methods of its measurement, indicators for monitoring the progress in inclusive growth, actual progress during the 1993-2010, particularly during the XI Plan and its implications for the XII Plan. This paper focuses on four interrelated issues. Firstly, it discusses the concept of inclusive growth, drawing mainly from the current literature to bring clarity on the meaning of the term. Secondly, it discusses the issues related to the indicators and measurement of inclusive growth and identifies the indicators for monitoring. Thirdly it provides empirical evidence on the inclusive character of the growth process at the all-India level, since 1993/94 to 2009/10 that includes three years of the XII Five-Year Plan (2006/07 to 2011/12) by defining inclusiveness. Finally, it indicates the implications of the findings for inclusive growth strategy under the XII Plan.