Manmohan Singh was chosen to serve as India's thirteenth prime minister. After Shri Narendra Modi, Indira Gandhi, and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Manmohan Singh is India's fourth most elected prime minister.
 |
| Late Shri Manmohan Singh (Ex. P.M.) of India. |
Indian politician, economist, scholar, and administrator Manmohan Singh (26 September 1932 – 26 December 2024) was the country's 13th prime minister from 2004 to 2014. After Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Narendra Modi, he served as prime minister for the fourth longest period of time. Singh served as India's first Sikh prime minister and was a member of the Indian National Congress. After serving a full five-year term, he was also the first prime minister since Nehru to be re-elected.
Singh was born in Gah, Pakistan, but his family moved to India when it was divided in 1947. Singh worked for the United Nations from 1966 to 1969 after earning his doctorate in economics from the University of Oxford. Later, when Lalit Narayan Mishra appointed him as an advisor in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, he started his career in bureaucracy. Singh held a number of important positions in the Indian government during the 1970s and 1980s, including Chief Economic Advisor (1972–1976), Reserve Bank governor (1982–1985), and head of the Planning Commission (1985–1987).
The apolitical Singh was appointed finance minister by P. V. Narasimha Rao, the newly elected prime minister, in 1991, when India was experiencing a serious economic crisis. Despite fierce opposition, he implemented a number of fundamental reforms that liberalized India's economy over the ensuing years. Despite the fact that these steps were successful in preventing the crisis and improved Singh's standing as a prominent reform-minded economist around the world, the incumbent Congress Party did not do well in the 1996 general election. Singh went on to lead the Rajya Sabha opposition under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee administration from 1998 to 2004.
Singh was suddenly given the prime ministership by Sonia Gandhi, the chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance, which was led by the Congress and came to power in 2004. His first government implemented a number of important laws and initiatives, such as the Right to Information Act, the Rural Employment Guarantee program, the National Rural Health Mission, and the Unique Identification Authority. Singh's government almost collapsed in 2008 after Left Front parties withdrew their support in response to criticism of a historic civil nuclear deal with the United States. India was one of the founding members of the BRICS when it was formed in 2009. During his tenure, India's economy expanded quickly.
Childhood And Education :
On September 26, 1932, Singh was born into a family of Punjabi Sikh dried fruit sellers of Khatri descent in Gah, Punjab, British India, to Gurmukh Singh Kohli and Amrit Kaur. When he was very little, his mother passed away. He was nurtured by Jamna Devi, his paternal grandmother, with whom he had a close relationship.Singh received his early education at a nearby gurdwara, where he started learning Punjabi and Urdu. He started attending the local Government Primary School on April 17, 1937, and stayed there until he was ten years old, at which point he and his family relocated to Peshawar. Singh attended the upper-primary Khalsa School there. In the summer of 1947, he took his matriculation exam.Years after becoming prime minister, Singh continued to write his ostensibly Hindi speeches in Urdu script, though occasionally he would also employ Gurmukhi, a script used to write his mother tongue, Punjabi.
His family moved to Haldwani, India, following the Partition of India. He attended Hindu College in Amritsar after they moved there in 1948.He excelled throughout his academic career, earning his bachelor's and master's degrees in 1952 and 1954, respectively, while studying economics at Punjab University, which was then located in Hoshiarpur, Punjab. In 1957, he finished his Economics Tripos at the University of Cambridge. He belonged to St. John's College.
Singh went to India and taught at Punjab University after graduating from Cambridge. As a member of Nuffield College, he pursued his DPhil at the University of Oxford in 1960. His work "India's Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth" was based on his 1962 PhD thesis, "India's export performance, 1951-1960, export prospects and policy implications," which he completed under Ian Little's guidance.
POLITICAL CAREER.
Singh was appointed finance minister by then-prime minister P. V. Narasimha Rao in June 1991. In 2005, Singh told British journalist Mark Tully that "The PM would like you to become the Minister of Finance" and that "Rao sent me his Principal Secretary on the day he was assembling his cabinet." It didn't seem serious to me. When he finally found me the following morning, he was quite upset and insisted that I get ready and come to Rashtrapati Bhavan for the swearing-in. That's how my political career began.
 |
| Late Shree Manmohan Singh |
Finance Minister.
In 1991, India's current account deficit was about 3.5% of its GDP, its balance of payments deficit was enormous, and its fiscal deficit was nearly 8.5% of its GDP. Compared to US$600 billion in 2009, India's foreign reserves hardly amounted to US$1 billion, which would cover two weeks' worth of imports.
Singh informed the party and the prime minister that India is currently experiencing an unparalleled crisis. The party's lower echelons, however, opposed deregulation. Thus, Singh and P. Chidambaram informed the party that without deregulation, the economy would implode.
Rao permitted Singh to deregulate the Indian economy, much to the party's dismay.
Singh, who had up until then been one of the most important designers of India's socialist economy, later abolished the permit raj, decreased government intervention in the sector, and lowered import duties. Thus, Rao and Singh dismantled the License Raj, a system that hampered the success of private enterprises, and put policies into place to open up the economy and transform India's socialist economy into a more capitalistic one.
Singh, who had up until then been one of the most important designers of India's socialist economy, later abolished the permit raj, decreased government intervention in the sector, and lowered import duties. Thus, Rao and Singh dismantled the License Raj, a system that hampered the success of private enterprises, and put policies into place to open up the economy and transform India's socialist economy into a more capitalistic one. They started the process of privatizing public sector businesses and eliminated numerous barriers to foreign direct investment (FDI).
After a parliamentary investigation report criticized his cabinet for failing to foresee a US$1.8 billion securities fraud in 1992, Singh resigned as Finance Minister in 1993. Singh's resignation was rejected by Prime Minister Rao, who instead pledged to punish anyone directly implicated in the report.
From 1998 to 2004, Manmohan Singh served as the Rajya Sabha's opposition leader.
Singh served as the Rajya Sabha's Leader of the Opposition from 1998 to 2004, when the Bharatiya Janata Party was in power. He ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Lok Sabha from South Delhi in 1999.
First Oath as A Prime Minster Of India.
The Indian National Congress became the party with the most seats in the Lok Sabha following the 2004 general elections, ending the reign of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Together with allies, it established the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and declared its intention to create a government. Chairperson Sonia Gandhi unexpectedly announced technocrat Manmohan Singh as the UPA's prime ministerial candidate.
 |
| MANMOHAN SINGH |
According to the BBC, Singh "enjoyed massive popular support, not least because he was seen by many as a clean politician untouched by the taint of corruption that has run through many Indian administrations," even though he had never won a direct popular election. On May 22, 2004, he was sworn in as India's prime minister.
Economic Policy as Finance Minister.
As Finance Minister, Singh ended the Licence Raj in 1991, which had been the cause of decades of corruption and sluggish economic growth in India. He allowed the Indian economy to become more liberal, which significantly accelerated its growth. Singh continued to promote expansion in the Indian market while serving as prime minister, and he was generally successful in doing so. Singh oversaw a time when the Indian economy expanded at an 8–9% annual rate under the direction of his finance minister, P. Chidambaram.
India became the second fastest growing major economy in the world in 2007 after reaching its greatest GDP growth rate of 9%. In 2005, Singh's ministry passed the MGNREGA, or National Employment Guarantee Act. The Golden Quadrilateral and the highway modernization initiative started by Vajpayee's government were carried out by Singh's administration. Singh also tried to improve public sector businesses and the banking and financial industries. Pro-industry policies and debt relief for farmers were the goals of the finance ministry. Sales tax was replaced with the value added tax in 2005 under Singh's administration. India was affected by the worldwide inflation issue in 2007 and the first part of 2008.
Foreign Policy.
Manmohan Singh carried on the pragmatic foreign policy that Atal Bihari Vajpayee of the Bharatiya Janata Party and P.V. Narasimha Rao had begun. Singh carried on the peace effort with Pakistan that Atal Bihari Vajpayee, his predecessor, had started. His tenure has been characterized by the exchange of high-level visits by both nations' top leaders. Singh has worked to resolve the border conflict with the People's Republic of China. Following Chinese President Hu Jintao's November 2006 visit to India, Singh traveled to Beijing in January 2008.
The reopening of the Nathula Pass in 2006, following over 40 years of closure, was a significant milestone in Sino-Indian relations. Li Keqiang, the premier of the People's Republic of China's State Council, visited India (Delhi-Mumbai) on May 19–21, 2013. From October 22 to 24, 2013, Singh visited China on official business. Three agreements establishing sister-city partnerships between Bangalore and Chengdu, Kolkata and Kunming, and Delhi and Beijing were signed. The People's Republic of China was India's second-largest trading partner as of 2010.
 |
| Shree Manmohan Singh With P.M. Shree Narendra Modi. |
India is now the biggest regional donor to Afghanistan, and relations with the country have significantly improved. During Afghan President Hamid Karzai's August 2008 visit to New Delhi, Manmohan Singh expanded Afghanistan's aid package to include more infrastructure, defense, schools, and health centers. India became one of the biggest suppliers of aid to Afghanistan under Singh's leadership.
Singh's administration sought to improve relations with the US. In July 2005, he traveled to the United States to begin talks on the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal. The nuclear accord, which grants India access to American nuclear fuel and technology in exchange for India allowing the IAEA to monitor its civil nuclear reactors, was announced during George W. Bush's successful visit to India in March 2006. On October 10, 2008, Pranab Mukherjee signed the agreement on behalf of India and the US after more than two years of talks and clearance from the US Congress, the IAEA, and the Nuclear Suppliers Group.During US President Barack Obama's presidency, Singh made the first state visit to the White House. During the November 2009 visit, a number of topics were discussed, including nuclear power and commerce.
The United Kingdom, France, Germany, and other European Union nations, as well as Japan, had better relations. Negotiations on the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline have taken place, and relations with Iran have persisted. In April 2006, the leaders of 15 African states gathered in New Delhi for the India-Africa Summit. With other developing nations, especially Brazil and South Africa, relations have improved. Singh continued the momentum created by the 2003 "Brasilia Declaration" and the creation of the IBSA Dialogue Forum.
Additionally, Singh's administration has been particularly eager to deepen its relationship with Israel. Israel is currently competing with Russia to become India's biggest defense partner after the two nations made major expenditures in one another starting in 2003. India and Russia have signed a number of agreements to strengthen defense, nuclear energy, and space cooperation, despite a few diplomatic hiccups, particularly over the delay and price increase of several Russian weapons that were supposed to be delivered to India.
In his September 2011 statement to the UN, Singh criticized the West for using force to impose regime change in Syria and Libya. India said nothing in response to Gaddafi's murder. India pledged to cooperate with the Libyan National Transitional Council in order to aid in the reconstruction of Libya, despite being one of the last nations to recognize the Council. After closing its mission in Tripoli in 2011, India dispatched an ambassador there in July 2012.
2nd Time Oath as A Prime Minister of India (2009-2014).
Between April 16 and May 13, 2009, India conducted five phases of general elections for the 15th Lok Sabha. On May 16, 2009, the election's results were made public. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) formed the new government under incumbent Singh thanks to strong performances in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh. Singh was the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962 to win re-election after serving a full five-year term. With 322 of the 543 members of the House supporting them, the Congress and its allies were able to form a solid majority.
These included the UPA's as well as the outside backing of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)), Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and other smaller parties.
In a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on May 22, 2009, Manmohan Singh took the oath of office as prime minister.
 |
| Shree Manmohan Singh Pmo |
Singh's administration was embroiled in political scandals during his second term, including the Commonwealth Games and the 2G spectrum controversy. When Yashwant Sinha, a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), asked Singh to testify before the JPC in April 2013, Singh refused to do so because of his alleged participation in the 2G issue. In the 2G case, all of the defendants were found not guilty in 2017. In response to this ruling, the Congress called on Narendra Modi and Arun Jaitley "to apologise to the nation" and said the "BJP has been exposed for its untruth and propaganda against Congress."
Singh emphasized that "violence will serve no purpose" and called for calm in the wake of the 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder. During his broadcast speech, he pledged to do all within his power to protect Indian women. "As a father of three daughters, I feel as strongly about the incident as each of you," Singh said in an attempt to show empathy. The prime minister celebrated the new year by canceling all of his official functions in remembrance of the victim..
Legacy And Public Image Of Political Carrier.
Singh is "one of the world's most revered leaders" and "a man of uncommon decency and grace," according to The Independent, which also noted that he drove a Maruti 800, one of the most modest vehicles available in India. Singh was praised by Khushwant Singh, who even ranked him higher than Jawaharlal Nehru as India's greatest prime minister. In his book Absolute Khushwant: The Low-Down on Life, Death and Most Things In-between, he describes an event in which Singh promptly returned the ₹2 lakh (US$2,300) he had borrowed from the author to hire taxis after losing the 1999 Lok Sabha elections.
On Forbes' 2010 list of the World's Most Powerful People, Singh came in at number 18. Singh was "universally praised as India's best prime minister since Nehru," according to Forbes magazine. Singh was hailed as "one of the greatest statesmen in Asian history" by Australian journalist Greg Sheridan. Later, Singh came in at number 19 and number 28 on the Forbes list in 2012 and 2013. "Guiding India into the ranks of the great powers" is how Time magazine placed Singh.
L. K. Advani, a co-founder of the BJP, is among the political rivals who have called Singh a "weak" prime minister. "He is weak," Advani said. What do I call someone who is unable to make judgments till Janpath gives him instructions at 10? People are "missing an educated PM like Dr. Manmohan Singh," according to Arvind Kejriwal's 2018 statement. "The country is indebted to Manmohan Singh for the liberalization that gave a new direction," stated Nitin Gadkari, the Union Transport Minister of the Modi Government in 2022.
Singh was referred to as a "night watchman" and a "puppet of the Gandhi family" by BJP leader Narendra Modi in 2013. Modi commended Manmohan Singh on February 8, 2024, saying,
Death :-
Singh has several heart bypass operations, the most recent of which was performed in January 2009. Singh was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in May 2020 as a result of a drug side effect. Singh was admitted to the hospital in April 2021 after testing positive for COVID-19. Singh was sent to the AIIMS once more in October 2021 after developing fever and weakness.
Singh was brought to AIIMS Delhi's emergency room after collapsing at his New Delhi home on December 26, 2024. Singh, who was 92 years old, passed within a few hours after being admitted to the hospital. Following that, the government declared a period of national mourning that would last until January 1, 2025, and on December 28, Singh was given a state funeral during his cremation in Nigam Bodh Ghat, New Delhi.
...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
