PROMOTINGPROMOTING,
Singh served as prime minister from 2004 to 2014 and was the architect of India's economic liberalization in the 1990s.
Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who ruled the South Asian country for two terms and dissolved its economy in an earlier stint as finance minister, has died. He was 92.
Singh, a political economist who was also the governor of the central bank, was ill and was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi late on Thursday.
His health deteriorated due to “sudden loss of consciousness at home,” the hospital said in a statement. He was “being treated for age-related medical conditions,” the statement said.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing away of the former Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, aged 92. He was being treated for age-related medical conditions and suddenly lost consciousness at home on December 26, 2024. immediately began… pic.twitter.com/ZX9NakKo7Y
— ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2024
A polite technocrat, Singh became one of India's longest-serving prime ministers for 10 years, serving from 2004 to 2014, earning a reputation as a man of great personal integrity.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who succeeded Singh in 2014, called him one of “India's most distinguished leaders” who rose from humble origins and left “a strong imprint on our politics economy over the years”.
“As our Prime Minister, he made great efforts to improve people's lives,” Modi said in a post on X. He called Singh's interventions in Parliament a “visionary” lawmaker and said his “wisdom and his humility is always visible”.
India is mourning the loss of one of its most respected leaders, Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji. Rising from humble origins, he rose to become an eminent economist. He also served in a number of government positions, including as Minister of Finance, leaving a strong impact on our economy… pic.twitter.com/clW00Yv6oP
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 26, 2024
Born into a poor family in the British-ruled part of India now in Pakistan, Singh studied by candlelight to win a place at Cambridge University before going to Oxford, earning a doctorate with a thesis on the role of exports and free trade in the Indian economy. .
He became a distinguished economist, then governor of India's central bank and a government adviser but had no plans for a political career when he was suddenly tapped to become finance minister in 1991 .
During that time until 1996, Singh was the architect of reforms that saved India's economy from a bad balance of payments, promoted deregulation and other measures that opened the insular country to the world.
Manmohan Singh Ji led India with great wisdom and integrity. His humility and deep understanding of economics inspired the country.
My sincere condolences to Mrs. Kaur and family.
I have lost a mentor and a guide. He will be remembered by millions of us who loved him with the… pic.twitter.com/bYT5o1ZN2R
—Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 26, 2024
Singh's ascension to the prime ministership in 2004 was even more unexpected.
He was asked to take up the job by Sonia Gandhi, who led the centre-left party to a stunning victory. Italian by birth, she feared that her ancestry would be used by the Hindu nationalist opposition to attack the government if she was to lead the country.
Overcoming a period of unprecedented economic growth, the Singh government shared the spoils of the country's new prosperity, including welfare schemes such as a jobs program for the rural poor.
In 2008, his government also made a special deal that allowed for peaceful trade in nuclear energy with the United States for the first time in three decades, paving the way for strong relations between New Delhi and Washington.
However, his efforts to open the Indian economy were often frustrated by political conflicts within his own party and demands from the coalition partners.
Singh adopted a low profile after relinquishing the post of prime minister. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.
