Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh passed away on Thursday at the age of 92. The veteran Congress leader was admitted to AIIMS Delhi in critical condition earlier that evening after his health worsened. Earlier this year, Singh retired from the Rajya Sabha, concluding a remarkable 33-year tenure in the Upper House of Parliament.
According to sources, Singh took his last breath at the hospital on Thursday evening. Prominent Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi, visited AIIMS Delhi to pay their respects.
Manmohan Singh Died
Former Prime Minister and senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh passed away in Delhi on Thursday at the age of 93, following a prolonged illness.
A distinguished economist and statesman, Singh was admitted to AIIMS Delhi on Thursday evening after his health worsened. In recent years, he had distanced himself from politics due to ongoing health issues and had been unwell since the start of 2024. His last public appearance was in January 2024 at the book launch of his daughter.
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About Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh retired from the Rajya Sabha in April 2024, marking the end of a long and impactful career in Indian politics.
Singh served as Prime Minister of India for two consecutive terms, from 2004 to 2014, leading a coalition government under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA). He is widely recognized as the architect of India’s economic liberalization in 1991, when he was Finance Minister in the PV Narasimha Rao government. His reforms in the 1990s helped open up India’s economy, allowing it to grow and integrate with global markets.
During his tenure as Prime Minister, Singh oversaw remarkable economic growth, which earned India the title of the world’s fastest-growing major economy. He also introduced key social reforms, including the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and the Right to Information Act, which aimed to improve transparency and provide employment opportunities in rural areas.
One of Singh’s most significant achievements was negotiating the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Agreement, which ended India’s decades-long nuclear isolation, allowing the country to access global nuclear markets.
However, his time as Prime Minister was also marked by controversies, particularly corruption scandals such as the 2G spectrum case and the coal block allocation controversy, which overshadowed some of his government’s successes.
As Finance Minister in 1991, Singh’s actions were crucial in steering India out of a severe economic crisis. With a balance of payments issue and foreign reserves running low, he introduced sweeping reforms that liberalized the economy, encouraged privatization, and attracted foreign investment.
These steps not only helped India overcome the crisis but also paved the way for the country’s rapid economic growth in the following decades.
Manmohan Singh’s career as an economist was distinguished by his academic brilliance and significant contributions to India’s economic policy. Before entering public service, he taught at Panjab University and the Delhi School of Economics, shaping young minds with his deep knowledge of economics.
Singh held several key positions throughout his career. As Chief Economic Advisor from 1972 to 1976, he played a crucial role in formulating policies during a challenging time marked by inflation and global oil crises.
He then served as Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 1982 to 1985, focusing on economic stabilization and improving financial regulations. From 1985 to 1987, he was the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, where he helped develop India’s long-term economic strategies.
Born on September 26, 1932, in Gah, a village in the Punjab province of British India (now in Pakistan), Singh’s early life was shaped by the upheaval of India’s partition in 1947, after which his family migrated to India. Despite these challenges, he excelled academically, earning a first-class degree in Economics from Panjab University in Chandigarh.
Singh continued his studies abroad, earning a postgraduate degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge in 1957, followed by a DPhil in Economics from the University of Oxford in 1962. These academic achievements laid the foundation for his successful career in both teaching and policymaking.
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Manmohan Singh Died FAQs
Q.1. What were Manmohan Singh’s major contributions to India’s economy?
Ans. Manmohan Singh is credited with India’s economic liberalization in 1991 and introducing key reforms like MGNREGA and the Right to Information Act.
Q.2. When did Manmohan Singh retire from the Rajya Sabha?
Ans. Manmohan Singh retired from the Rajya Sabha in April 2024 after serving for 33 years.
Q.3. What was Manmohan Singh’s role in the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Agreement?
Ans. Singh negotiated the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Agreement, which ended India’s nuclear isolation and opened up global nuclear markets for the country.
Q.4. How long did Manmohan Singh serve as India’s Prime Minister?
Ans. Manmohan Singh served as Prime Minister of India for two consecutive terms, from 2004 to 2014.
Q.5. Where was Manmohan Singh born?
Ans. Manmohan Singh was born on September 26, 1932, in Gah, a village in the Punjab province of British India (now in Pakistan).
