Introduction:
(i) Planning may retard private initiatives, hamper freedom of choice, involve huge cost of administration and stop automatic adjustment of price mechanism.
(i) Loss of freedom
1. Regulations and restrictions are the backbone of a planned economy.
2. Economic freedom consists of freedom of consumption, freedom of choice of occupation, freedom to produce and the freedom to fix prices for the products.
3. Under planning, crucial decisions are made by the Central Planning Authority.
4. The consumers, producers and the workers enjoy no freedom of choice.
5. Hayek in his book 'Road to Serfdom' explains that centralized planning leads to loss of personal freedom and ends in economic stagnation.
(ii) Elimination of Initiative
1. Planning follows routine proocedure and may cause stagnation in growth.
2. Absence of private ownership and profit discourages entrepreneurs from risk taking.
3. Attractive profit is the incentive for searching new ideas, new methods.
4. All enjoy equal reward under planned economy irrespective of their effort, efficiency.
5. So, nobody is interested in undertaking new and risky ventures.
6. The bureaucracy and red tapism cause procedural delay and time loss.
7. So, even socialist countries like Russia and China offer incentives to private firms.
(iii) High cost of Management
1. Plan formulation and implementation involve an army of staff for data collection and administration.
2. Lewis remarks, "The better we try to plan, the more planners we need".
3. Inadequate data, faulty estimations and improper implementation of plans result in wastage of resources and cause either surplus or shortages.
(iv) Difficulty in advance
calculations
1. Advance calculations in a precise manner is impossible with regard to consumption and production.
2. It is also difficult to put the calculations into practice under planning.
Conclusion
1. The arguments against planning are mostly concerned with centralized and totalitarian planning.

1. Short-term (controlling plans or annual plans) for a period of one year (operation).
2. Medium term plans last 3-7 years but normally 5 years. Related to allocation of financial and physical resources (tactical planning).
3. Long-term (perspective or strategic plans) for 10 to 30 years: To bring structural changes in the economy.
4. Financial planning refers to the technique of planning in which resources are allocated in terms of money
5. Physical planning refers to allocation of resources in terms of men, materials and machinery.
6. Comprehensive plan concerns with the major issues for the whole economy.
7. Partial plan considers only the few important sectors of the economy.
Democratic planning:
1. Planning within democracy.
2. People are associated at every step in the formulation and implementation of the plan.
3. The plan prepared by the Planning Commission can be accepted, rejected or modified by the Parliament.
Totalitarian planning:
1. There is central control and direction of all economic activities.
2. Consumption, production, exchange, and distribution are all controlled by the state.
3. The planning authority decides the target, schemes, allocations, methods and procedures of implementation of the plan.
Centralized planning:
1. The entire planning in under a central planning authority.
2. This authority formulates a central plan, fixes objectives, targets and priorities for every sector.
3. It is planning from̀ above.
Decentralized planning
1. Local organizations and institutions formulate, adopt, execute and supervise the plan.
2. It is called planning from below.
Planning by Direction:
1. There is a central authority which plans, directs and orders the execution of the plan in accordance with pre-determined targets and priorities.
Planning by inducement
1. People are induced to act in a certain way through various monetary and fiscal measures.
2. If the planning authority wishes to encourage the production of a commodity, it can give subsidy to the firms.
Indicative planning:
1. It has been in practice in France since the Monnet Plan of 1947 and in mixed economies.
2. The outline of plan is prepared by the Government.
3. It is discussed with the representatives of private management, trade unions, consumer groups, and experts.
4. The essential function of planning is co-ordination of different economic units.
5. The state provides all facilities to the private sector.
6. The private sector fulfill the targets and priorities.
7. The state does not force the private sector but just indicates the areas of operation and targets to be fulfilled.
Imperative planning (China and Russia):
1. The state is all powerful in preparation and implementation of the plan.
2. The implementation is a matter of enforcement. Policies arc rigid.
3. There is complete control over the entire resources by the state. There is no consumer sovereignty.

Natural Resource:
(i) The existence of natural resources in abundance is essential for development.
(ii) But Japan, though it lacks natural resources imports them and achieves faster rate of economic development with the help of technology.
Capital Formation:
(i) Capital formation refers to the net addition to the existing stock of capital goods which are either tangible (plants, machinery) or intangible (health, education).
(ii) Capital formation helps increase productivity of labour, production and income.
(iii) Advanced techniques of production can be used and leads to better utilization of natural resources, industrialization and expansion of markets which are essential for economic progress.
Size of the Market:
(i) Large size of the market would stimulate production, increase employment and raise the National per capita income.
Structural Change:
(ii) Structural change refers to change in the occupational structure of the economy.
(iii) Any economy is divided into primary secondary and tertiary sector.
(iv) Any economy which is predominantly agricultural remains backward.
Financial System:
(i) Financial system implies the existence of an efficient and organized banking system in the country.
(ii) There should be an organized money market to facilitate easy availability of capital.
Marketable Surplus:
(i) It refers to the total amount of farm output cultivated by farmers over and above their family consumption needs.
(ii) This surplus brings income, raises purchasing power, employment and output in other sectors.
Foreign Trade:
(i) A country with favorable balance of trade is always developed.
Economic System:
(i) A country with free market system enjoys better growth rate compared to controlled economies.