New Delhi, 27 December 2024 – Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the man widely credited with steering India’s 1991 economic liberalization and transforming its economic trajectory, passed away on Thursday at the age of 92. Singh breathed his last at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, where he was admitted in critical condition earlier in the day. Doctors were unable to revive him.
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Born on September 26, 1932, in Gah village in undivided Punjab, Singh’s life journey was one of academic brilliance, bureaucratic expertise, and political acumen. After completing his matriculation from Panjab University in 1948, Singh pursued his passion for economics in the UK, earning a First-Class Honours degree from the University of Cambridge in 1957. He later obtained a doctorate in economics from Oxford University’s Nuffield College in 1962. His landmark work, India’s Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth, critiqued the inward-oriented trade policies India followed at the time—a perspective he would challenge as finance minister decades later.
Singh’s academic career was distinguished by his teaching roles at Panjab University in Chandigarh and the Delhi School of Economics. His expertise also led to international assignments, including a position at the UNCTAD Secretariat and later as Secretary-General of the South Commission in Geneva.
He joined the Indian government in 1971 as an economic adviser in the Commerce Ministry, hand-picked by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Over the following two decades, Singh held key positions such as Chief Economic Adviser, secretary in the Finance Ministry, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, governor of the Reserve Bank of India, and chairman of the University Grants Commission.
The pivotal moment in Singh’s career came in 1991 when Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao appointed him as finance minister amid a severe economic crisis. Singh implemented sweeping reforms that liberalized India’s economy, dismantling trade barriers and opening the country to global markets. These reforms became his enduring legacy, cementing his reputation as one of India’s most influential policymakers.
Singh’s political career, which spanned 33 years, began in the Rajya Sabha in 1991. From 1998 to 2004, he served as the Leader of the Opposition. Representing Assam until 2019 and Rajasthan thereafter, Singh retired from Parliament in 2024 after passing the baton to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.
His tenure as prime minister began in 2004 when Sonia Gandhi declined the role after the Congress-led UPA alliance’s electoral victory, making Singh the country’s first Sikh prime minister. Serving two consecutive terms, Singh presided over an era of economic growth averaging 8.5%. However, his tenure was also marred by allegations of corruption, particularly during his second term, which fueled Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement and contributed to the Congress’s downfall in the 2014 elections.
Despite setbacks, Singh’s government introduced transformative policies, including the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), the Right to Education Act, and the Right to Information Act. He successfully navigated challenges like the no-confidence vote over the Indo-US nuclear deal and spearheaded initiatives like farm loan waivers.
Singh’s career, however, faced its share of defeats. A loss in the 1998 Lok Sabha elections from South Delhi prevented him from ever becoming a member of the Lower House.
Singh is survived by his wife, Gursharan Kaur, and three daughters. Known for his humility and dedication, Singh’s contributions to India as an economist, bureaucrat, and leader remain unparalleled, leaving behind an indelible legacy.
