In the context of India's economic planning, the Second Five Year Plan was based mainly on which of the following economic growth models that emphasised heavy industry and capital goods?

Introduction / Context:
Indian economic planning after independence followed a series of Five Year Plans, each influenced by particular economic ideas. The Second Five Year Plan is especially famous because it marked a clear strategic choice in favour of rapid industrialisation, especially basic and heavy industries. This question tests whether you know which growth model provided the theoretical foundation for that plan and its emphasis on capital goods and long term capacity building.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question is about the Second Five Year Plan of India.
• It asks which growth model this plan was based on.
• The options list four different economic models associated with different economists.
• We use standard information from Indian economic history.

Concept / Approach:
The Second Five Year Plan (1956 to 1961) is known as the Mahalanobis Plan, after statistician and planner P. C. Mahalanobis. His model focused on allocating a larger share of investment to heavy industries and capital goods sectors such as steel, machinery, and engineering. The idea was that building capacity in these sectors would create strong long run growth. Other models like the Harrod Domar model influenced general planning thinking, but the explicit strategy of the Second Plan came from the Mahalanobis multi sector model that divided the economy into capital goods and consumer goods sectors.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the First Five Year Plan focused mainly on agriculture and irrigation, influenced by the Harrod Domar approach.Step 2: The Second Plan shifted the focus towards rapid industrialisation through heavy and basic industries.Step 3: P. C. Mahalanobis proposed a model that allocated high investment shares to capital goods to accelerate future growth capacity.Step 4: This model is widely known as the Mahalanobis model and is explicitly linked with the Second Plan.Step 5: Therefore, the correct answer is that the Second Five Year Plan was based on the Mahalanobis model.

Verification / Alternative check:
Most standard Indian economy textbooks refer to the Second Plan as the Mahalanobis heavy industry strategy. The Planning Commission documents also acknowledge Mahalanobis as the chief architect of the plan model. The other models mentioned in the options are either generic growth models or not directly associated with the design of India's Second Five Year Plan, which confirms our choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Vakil and Brahmananda's Wage Goods Model: This model stressed wage goods and employment, and was not used as the main base for the Second Plan in official planning documents.
Harrod-Domar Growth Model: This model influenced the overall approach in the First Plan and general planning, but the distinctive heavy industry focus of the Second Plan comes from Mahalanobis, not from Harrod Domar directly.
Solow Growth Model: The Solow model is a neoclassical growth model developed later and was never the explicit basis of Indian Five Year Plans in that era.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often remember that Harrod Domar influenced Indian planning and may wrongly assume that it directly underpinned all early plans. Others confuse the Wage Goods Model debate with actual official plan models. The key tip is to associate the Second Five Year Plan with Mahalanobis and heavy industry, which is a standard pairing in exam preparation.

Final Answer:
The Second Five Year Plan of India was based on the Mahalanobis Model.