In India, the 12th Five Year Plan covered which time period?

Introduction / Context:
Five Year Plans were a cornerstone of India's economic planning framework for many decades. Each plan period outlined the country's development priorities, targets, and resource allocation strategies. Knowing the time spans of major Five Year Plans is a common requirement in competitive exams that cover Indian economy, planning history, and public policy. This question focuses on the 12th Five Year Plan and asks you to identify the correct time period it covered.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The plan in question is the 12th Five Year Plan of India.
• Options show different five-year ranges between 2002 and 2020.
• We assume the classical planning sequence used by the Planning Commission before it was replaced by NITI Aayog.

Concept / Approach:
India’s Five Year Plans follow sequential time blocks. The 10th Plan covered 2002–2007, the 11th Plan covered 2007–2012, and the 12th Five Year Plan followed immediately afterward. Therefore, by remembering the sequence of previous plans, you can logically deduce that the 12th Five Year Plan must cover the period 2012–2017. This simple recall and sequencing method is often more reliable than guessing.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the 10th Five Year Plan ran from 2002 to 2007. Step 2: Recall that the 11th Five Year Plan followed, covering 2007 to 2012. Step 3: The next plan, the 12th Five Year Plan, therefore starts in 2012, right after the 11th Plan ends. Step 4: Adding a five-year duration to 2012 leads to an end year of 2017, giving 2012–2017 as the plan period. Step 5: Cross-check the options and select “2012–2017” as it matches this sequence.

Verification / Alternative check:
Standard Indian economy textbooks, government documents, and competitive exam guides clearly list the 12th Five Year Plan as spanning from 2012 to 2017. It is also often mentioned that this was the last full Five Year Plan before India moved towards a different planning approach under NITI Aayog. This independent confirmation supports the answer 2012–2017.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
2002–2007: This corresponds to the 10th Five Year Plan, not the 12th. 2007–2012: This is the period of the 11th Five Year Plan. 2015–2020: This range does not match any official Five Year Plan period; planning in this form had effectively ended by then.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent error is mixing up the plan numbers and their timelines, especially between the 10th, 11th, and 12th plans. Candidates may also incorrectly assume that the 12th Plan ended in 2020 due to later changes in planning institutions. To avoid confusion, it helps to memorize a simple table listing each plan number and corresponding years. Repetition and quick revision before the exam will make recalling such sequences much easier.

Final Answer:
The 12th Five Year Plan in India covered the period from 2012–2017.