Before holding the PM post, Singh was the 22nd Union Minister of Finance under the leadership of PV Narasimha Rao. Despite opposition, Singh made structural changes and reforms that liberalised India’s economy in 1991.
He was also the 15th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and held the office from 1982 to 1985.
PM Modi greets former PM Singh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended wishes to Manmohan Singh on his birthday over social media. In a post, he wrote, “Birthday greetings to former PM Dr Manmohan Singh Ji. I pray that he is blessed with a long and healthy life.”
Dr Manmohan Singh’s personal life and education
Born in the Sikh family of Gurmukh Singh and Amrit Kaur on September 26, 1932, in Gah, Punjab, British India (now in Punjab, Pakistan). He lost his mother at a young age and his paternal grandmother raised him. He completed his education in Urdu medium. Even when Singh was India’s PM he used to write his Hindi speeches in Urdu script and he also used Gurmukhi, a script used to write Punjabi, his mother tongue.
Post partition, his family moved to Haldwani, India, and then in 1948, they relocated to Amritsar. He went on to study at the Hindu College, and also attended Panjab University, then in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, to study Economics. He got his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 1952 and 1954, respectively. He also went to the University of Cambridge in 1957 to complete his Economics Tripos. Later, he became a member of St John’s College.
After completing his formal education, Singh returned to India and became a teacher at Punjab University. In 1960, he went to the University of Oxford for his DPhil and he was a member of Nuffield College. He was also the faculty member of the prestigious Delhi School of Economics.
Singh’s political career
Dr Manmohan Singh entered into politics as an Economic Advisor in the Commerce Ministry and then he was appointed as the Chief Economic Advisor in the Ministry of Finance in 1972. Throughout his career in active politics, Singh held multiple positions like Secretary in the Ministry of Finance; Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission; Governor of the Reserve Bank of India; Advisor of the Prime Minister; and Chairman of the University Grants Commission.
However, Dr Singh is majorly known for turning the economic history of Independent India between 1991 and 1996 as India’s Finance Minister. His economic reforms are recognised worldwide.
In 1993, Singh offered his resignation after his ministry was criticised for not being able to anticipate the US$1.8 billion 1992 securities scandal. However, his resignation was refused by then-PM PV Narasimha Rao, who instead promised to punish individuals directly accused in the report.
Later, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was in office from 1998 to 2004, Singh was the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
In 2004, Singh was elected as the Prime Minister of India, and he was also the only PM after Jawahar Lal Nehru to become the PM for the second time after completing his 5-year tenure. Singh held the PM office till 2014 when his party faced a loss in election against BJP and Narendra Modi became the next Prime Minister.
In 2005, a British journalist, Mark Tully, asked him about how he entered politics, to which he said, “On the day (Rao) was formulating his cabinet, he sent his Principal Secretary to me saying, ‘The PM would like you to become the Minister of Finance’. I didn’t take it seriously. He eventually tracked me down the next morning, rather angry, and demanded that I get dressed up and come to Rashtrapati Bhavan for the swearing in. So that’s how I started in politics”.
Congress also greets Singh
The official twitter handle of Congress party shared a post on X that reads, “The entire life of renowned economist and former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has been dedicated to the country. He has made many public welfare policies keeping in mind the interests, progress and welfare of all sections of the country. On behalf of the Congress family, happy birthday and best wishes to Dr Manmohan Singh, the architect of economic prosperity in India. We pray to God for your healthy and long life.” (Translated from Hindi)
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also expressed his warm greetings and called Mr Singh the embodiment of simplicity, dignity and ingenuity in the realm of politics.
Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi also congratulated the former PM and shared a tweet on X and wrote, “Happy Birthday to Dr Manmohan Singh Ji. Your humility, wisdom, and selfless service in shaping our country’s future continue to inspire me and millions of Indians. Wishing you good health and happiness always!”
First Published: Sep 26 2024 | 11:07 AM IST
