PMINDIA

India’s fourteenth Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, was rightly acclaimed as a thinker and a scholar. He will be remembered for his diligence, academic approach to work, accessibility, and unassuming demeanour.

Dr. Manmohan Singh was born on September 26, 1932, in a village in the Punjab province of undivided India. He completed his Matriculation examinations from Punjab University in 1948. His illustrious academic journey took him from Punjab to the University of Cambridge, UK, where he earned a First Class Honours degree in Economics in 1957. Dr. Singh followed this with a D. Phil in Economics from Nuffield College at Oxford University in 1962. His book, India’s Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1964), was an early critique of India’s inward-oriented trade policy.

Dr. Singh’s academic credentials were further strengthened by his years on the faculty of Punjab University and the prestigious Delhi School of Economics. He also served briefly at the UNCTAD Secretariat, presaging his later role as Secretary General of the South Commission in Geneva between 1987 and 1990.

In 1971, Dr. Singh joined the Government of India as Economic Advisor in the Commerce Ministry. This was soon followed by his appointment as Chief Economic Advisor in the Ministry of Finance in 1972. Over his career, Dr. Singh held several significant positions, including Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Advisor to the Prime Minister, and Chairman of the University Grants Commission.

From 1991 to 1996, Dr. Singh served as India’s Finance Minister, marking a turning point in the nation’s economic history. His role in ushering in a comprehensive policy of economic reforms remains globally celebrated. Those years, marked by transformative change, are inseparably linked to his vision and leadership.

Dr. Singh received numerous awards and honours during his lifetime. Among the most prominent are India’s second-highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan (1987), the Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award of the Indian Science Congress (1995), the Asia Money Award for Finance Minister of the Year (1993 and 1994), the Euro Money Award for Finance Minister of the Year (1993), the Adam Smith Prize of the University of Cambridge (1956), and the Wright’s Prize for Distinguished Performance at St. John’s College in Cambridge (1955). He was also conferred honorary degrees by esteemed universities, including Cambridge and Oxford.

Dr. Singh represented India at numerous international conferences and organizations, including leading Indian delegations to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Cyprus (1993) and the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna in 1993.

In his political career, Dr. Singh served as a Member of India’s Upper House of Parliament (the Rajya Sabha) from 1991 and was the Leader of the Opposition between 1998 and 2004. He was sworn in as Prime Minister on 22nd May 2004, following the general elections, and took the oath of office for a second term on 22nd May 2009.

He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Gursharan Kaur and their three daughters.