The First Five Year Plan (1951—1956) was drafted by:

The First Five Year Plan (1951–1956) was drafted by a team of economists that included K.N. Raj, a young economist who played a pivotal role in its formulation [1]. While the plan was based on the Harrod-Domar model, K.N. Raj famously argued that India should 'hasten slowly' during the initial decades to protect democratic stability while focusing on the agrarian sector [2]. The plan prioritized agriculture, irrigation, and land reforms to address the economic disruptions caused by Partition [2]. In contrast, P.C. Mahalanobis is primarily associated with the drafting and leadership of the Second Five Year Plan, which shifted focus toward rapid industrialization and heavy industries [4]. Jawaharlal Nehru served as the ex-officio chairman of the Planning Commission but was not the primary drafter of the technical document [2].

Sources

1. [1] Politics in India since Independence, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Politics of Planned Development > The First Five Year Plan > p. 51
2. [2] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 38: Developments under Nehru’s Leadership (1947-64) > Concept of Planning for Economic Development > p. 645
3. [4] https://www.mospi.gov.in/sites/default/files/Statistical_year_book_india_chapters/ch7.pdf