A prosperous nation needs well-developed industries to provide the amenities of life to its citizens. Food may be a basic need but for a comfortable life we need clothes, shelter, electricity, machinery and numerous other things.
The countries that cannot provide these facilities to its people are considered backward and underdeveloped. Agriculture itself is dependent on industry for its development. Tractors, threshers, electric motors are all industrial products. In fact, in our daily lives we are all dependent on manufactured goods. This was one reason our Planners recognized the importance of developing our industries.
When India became independent, very few industries existed in the country like textiles and sugar. Heavy industry was more or less non-existent. Industries like iron and steel, cement, machine tools, and transport which are essential for the development of other industries hardly existed.
Industry contributed only ten per cent to the national income in 1950-51 while agriculture had a share of fifty-two per cent. After the Five-Year Plans initiated a programme of industrial development a great change took place. At present the agricultural share has decreased whereas the share of the industry has gone up since independence.