202 India Indians bathe in the Ganges River, a sacred rite India’s history is mixed with religion, as in the partition into Pakistan and Bangladesh, and the continuing border conflicts that occur today the First Indochina War (1946–54) Nehru also played a pivotal role in establishing the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961 India had maintained friendly relations with China and signed a friendship treaty in 1954 But there were boundary disputes with China, which resulted in the Sino-Indian War of October 1962 India’s humiliating defeat was a great shock to Nehru, and Indian foreign policy lost its momentum A planning commission was set up in 1950 headed by Nehru Large sectors of the economy were modernized The new policies aimed for an increase in agricultural productivity and industrialization within the framework of a socialist pattern of society The government engaged itself in manufacturing, railways, aviation, electricity, communication, and infrastructural activities The Indian Institutes of Technology, In tune with the scientific temperament of Nehru, research and educational institutions were established Attempts also were made to change the social sector through legislation in parliament Lal Bahadur Shastri (1904–66) became the next premier The debacle for India in the Sino-Indian War of 1962 and the death of Nehru prompted Pakistan to wage another war The Indian army crossed the border, bringing Lahore under Indian artillery fire A cease-fire was called by the United Nations on September 22, 1965 The Tashkent Agreement was signed on January 10, 1966, and the cease-fire line (CFL) became the de facto border between the countries With the initiation of Indira Gandhi as prime minister, another important era began in contemporary Indian history Daughter of Nehru, she was prime minister of India twice, between 1966 and 1977 and again from 1980 to 1984 She unleashed a program of Garibi Hatao (abolish poverty), supported the Indochinese people in the Vietnam War, and moved closer to the Soviet Union with the signing of a 20-year treaty in August 1971 The liberation war in East Pakistan had started, and India was facing problems arising out of the exodus of 10 million refugees to provinces in eastern India War became inevitable On