New Delhi, 27 December 2024 – Manmohan Singh, India’s former prime minister and the architect behind the country’s 1991 economic reforms, passed away on Thursday at the age of 92. He was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi in critical condition and succumbed to his illness later in the day.
Born on September 26, 1932, in Gah, Punjab (now in Pakistan), Singh overcame the challenges of Partition to emerge as a towering figure in Indian public life. He completed his matriculation at Panjab University in 1948 and went on to earn a First-Class Honours degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge in 1957. In 1962, he received a doctorate in Economics from Oxford University’s Nuffield College. His academic contributions included his book, India’s Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth, a critique of India’s inward-oriented trade policies, which he later reformed as finance minister.
Singh’s academic career included teaching positions at Panjab University, Chandigarh, and the Delhi School of Economics. He also held key international roles, such as serving at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and later as Secretary-General of the South Commission in Geneva.
In 1971, Singh began his governmental journey as Economic Adviser to the Commerce Ministry, chosen by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Over the next two decades, he held critical positions including Chief Economic Adviser, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, and governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
The turning point of his career came in 1991 when he was appointed finance minister by Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao amidst an economic crisis. Singh introduced historic reforms that opened India’s economy to globalization, modernized trade policies, and set the stage for decades of economic growth. His transformative work during this period earned him the reputation of being the chief architect of India’s liberalization.
Singh transitioned to politics in 1991 as a Rajya Sabha member. Over a 33-year political career, he represented Assam until 2019, then Rajasthan until retiring in 2024. From 1998 to 2004, he served as Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
In 2004, Congress president Sonia Gandhi led the party to victory but declined the position of prime minister, instead selecting Singh. As India’s first Sikh prime minister, Singh held the position for a decade, steering India through a period of robust economic growth averaging 8.5%.
His tenure was marked by landmark policies such as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), the Right to Information Act, and the Right to Education Act. Singh also navigated a confidence vote over the Indo-US nuclear deal and introduced a farm loan waiver scheme.
However, his government’s second term saw allegations of corruption, including the 2G spectrum and coal block allocation scams. These controversies, coupled with the anti-corruption movement led by activist Anna Hazare, contributed to the Congress’s historic defeat in 2014, where the party secured only 44 seats.
Despite setbacks, Singh’s contributions to India’s economic and social progress remain unparalleled. His career also saw defeats, such as losing the 1998 Lok Sabha elections from South Delhi, which prevented him from ever joining the Lower House.
Survived by his wife Gursharan Kaur and three daughters, Singh leaves behind a legacy of intellectual rigor, humility, and transformative leadership. His passing marks the end of an era in Indian politics and economic policy.
