The story of Indian economy has two distinct phases. One, the economy during British period and two, the economy after independence.
During the British period Indian economy was totally exploited by the British for their benefit. As a result the economy suffered from famines and exploitations by the intermediaries. The result was that there was large scale poverty in India at the time of independence.
After independence the situation has not changed to match the expectations of its people. India is still known by low per capita income and its slow increase over time; poverty; heavy population pressure. But India has got hope through its five year plans which set a target to achieve certain goals.
Sectors
There are three sectors in the economy - primary (agriculture and allied activities), secondary, (manufacturing) and tertiary (services). All these sectors contribute towards generation and growth of national income, creation of employment opportunities, supply of goods and services and creating infrastructure.
All the three sectors are interlinked by complementing and supplementing each other.