Former Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, passed away on Thursday (December 26). He was 92 years old.
Dr Manmohan Singh had been hospitalised at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) prior to his death.
In a statement, AIIMS Delhi said that Singh “was being treated for age-related medical conditions and had sudden loss of consciousness at home on 26th December 2024. Resuscitative measures were started immediately at home. He was brought to the Medical Emergency at AIIMS, New Delhi at 8:06 PM. Despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9:51 PM.”
All Government programs scheduled tomorrow are to be cancelled. National mourning of 7 days to be declared. Cabinet is to meet tomorrow at 11 am. Dr Manmohan Singh’s last rites to be conducted with full state honours, government sources said.
A towering figure in Indian politics and economics, he was renowned for his integrity, intellect, and soft-spoken demeanor.
Dr Singh’s career in public service began in 1971 as an economic advisor in India’s commerce ministry. He later served in key roles, including Chief Economic Advisor, Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, and Chairman of the University Grants Commission. From 1987 to 1990, he was Secretary General of the South Commission in Geneva.
As Finance Minister under Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao from 1991 to 1996, Dr Manmohan Singh emerged as a key architect of the country’s economic liberalisation. He spearheaded transformative economic reforms that pulled India from the brink of financial collapse. His policies dismantled decades of socialist-era controls, devalued the rupee, and opened the economy to foreign investment, setting the stage for India’s emergence as a global economic power.
Dr Singh served as prime minister for two terms from 2004 to 2014 under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
Among his key achievements were the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), launched in 2005, which provided 100 days of guaranteed wage employment to rural households; the Right to Information Act (2005), and the National Food Security Act (2013).
Although bound by the political circumstances of his time, Dr Manmohan Singh steered his administration with his head held high.
During his time in power, his administration faced criticism for corruption scandals and policy paralysis. Despite the media remaining a harsh critic, Dr Singh remained dutiful in attending press conferences.
History is set to be kinder to Dr Manmohan Singh than the newspapers of his day were– an astute prediction he had made years ago.
With inputs from agencies
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Manmohan Singh, the prime minister who put Indian economy on the global map, dies aged 92
