NEW DELHI: Manmohan Singh, former Indian Prime Minister and architect of the country’s economic liberalization, has died at the age of 92.
Singh, who served two terms as prime minister and held key positions in the government, was hospitalized at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on Thursday evening due to his prolonged illness.
“It is with deep sadness that we inform you of the passing away of former Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, aged 92. He was being treated for age-related medical issues and suffered a sudden loss of consciousness at his home on December 26, 2024. Resuscitation measures were taken. started immediately at home. He was brought to the medical emergency room of AIIMS, New Delhi, at 8:06 p.m. Despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared brought dead at 9:51 p.m.,” AIIMS said in a statement, confirming the death.
An economist by training, Singh was instrumental in transforming the Indian economy during his tenure as finance minister in the early 1990s. His economic liberalization policies are credited with opening India to markets global players, thus paving the way for rapid growth in the country.
Born on September 26, 1932, in Gah, a village in the Punjab province of British India (now Pakistan), Singh’s family migrated to India after the 1947 partition.
Despite the troubles of Partition, he excelled academically, graduating with a first class degree in economics from Panjab University, Chandigarh. Singh continued his education at the University of Cambridge, where he received a postgraduate degree in economics in 1957, and then a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Oxford in 1962.
Singh began his civil service career in 1972 as chief economic adviser, guiding India through a period of inflation and global oil shocks. He then served as governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 1982 to 1985, where he focused on economic stabilization and financial regulation. He also served as vice-chairman of the Planning Commission from 1985 to 1987, playing a crucial role in shaping India’s long-term economic strategies.
The former Prime Minister entered politics in 1991 when PV Narasimha Rao, the then Prime Minister, appointed him as Finance Minister. In a candid interview with British journalist Mark Tully in 2005, Singh recounted the moment, saying: “The day (Rao) was forming his cabinet, he sent his principal secretary to me to say, ‘The Prime Minister would like you became a minister.” of Finance”. I didn’t take it seriously. He finally found me the next morning, quite angry, and asked me to get dressed and come to Rashtrapati Bhavan to take the oath. That’s how I started in politics.”
As finance minister, Singh faced a severe economic crisis, with India facing a balance of payments problem and dwindling foreign exchange reserves. His revolutionary reforms, which included liberalizing the economy, encouraging privatization and integrating India into global markets, not only averted the crisis but also put India on the path to becoming one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Singh served two consecutive terms as prime minister, heading a coalition government under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA). His tenure from 2004 to 2014 was marked by rapid economic growth, which positioned India as the fastest growing major economy in the world.
During this period, he introduced landmark social reforms, including the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and the Right to Information Act. Singh also negotiated the historic India-US civil nuclear deal, which ended decades of nuclear isolation for India.
However, his tenure as prime minister was also marred by corruption scandals, such as the 2G spectrum affair and the coal block allocation controversy, which overshadowed his achievements.
In recent years, Singh has retired from active politics due to health reasons, with his last public appearance taking place in January 2024 at his daughter’s book launch.
He retired from the Rajya Sabha in April 2024.
