Manmohan Singh, who served two terms as Prime Minister, is no more
PTC Web Desk: Former Prime Minister and veteran Congress leader Dr Manmohan Singh passed away in Delhi on Thursday at the age of 93 after a prolonged illness. He was declared dead at 9.51 pm at AIIMS Delhi.
A distinguished economist and statesman, Dr Manmohan Singh was admitted to AIIMS Delhi earlier in the evening following a decline in his health. He had been away from active politics in recent years due to health issues and had been unwell since early 2024. His last public appearance was in January 2024 at the book launch of his daughter. He officially retired from the Rajya Sabha in April this year.
Dr Singh served as Prime Minister of India for two consecutive terms, heading the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government from 2004 to 2014. Known as the architect of India’s economic liberalisation, he introduced landmark reforms in 1991 as the Finance Minister under Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao.
During his tenure as Prime Minister, India witnessed unprecedented economic growth, becoming the fastest-growing major economy in the world. His government implemented transformative social reforms such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and the Right to Information Act. Dr Singh also led India to negotiate the historic Indo-US Civil Nuclear Agreement, ending decades of nuclear isolation.
However, his time in office was also overshadowed by allegations of corruption, including the 2G spectrum case and the coal block allocation scandal.
Dr Singh's tenure as Finance Minister is regarded as a pivotal moment in India’s economic history. Facing a severe economic crisis in 1991, he introduced bold measures to liberalise the economy, encourage privatisation, and integrate India into the global market. These reforms not only addressed the crisis but also set the foundation for India’s rapid economic growth in subsequent decades.
Prior to his political career, Dr Singh had an illustrious academic and administrative journey. He served as a professor at Panjab University and the Delhi School of Economics before moving into public service. Over the years, he held prominent positions such as Chief Economic Advisor (1972-1976), Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (1982-1985), and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission (1985-1987).
Born on September 26, 1932, in Gah, a village in British India's Punjab province (now in Pakistan), Dr. Singh’s family migrated to India during the partition in 1947. Despite the upheaval, he excelled academically, earning a first-class degree in Economics from Panjab University, Chandigarh. He later pursued postgraduate studies at the University of Cambridge in 1957 and earned a DPhil in Economics from the University of Oxford in 1962.
Dr Manmohan Singh's contributions as an economist and leader will be remembered as milestones in India's journey toward economic progress and global integration.
- With inputs from agencies
