New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh passed away at 92 on Thursday evening. He was admitted to AIIMS, Delhi, due to a lung infection and breathing difficulties. Family members, including wife Gursharan Kaur, arrived, while Delhi Police evacuated the premises. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi and BJP President JP Nadda were also present. PM Modi also expressed condolences on the leader’s death.
Early life and education
Manmohan Singh was born on September 26, 1932, in Gah, Punjab, British India (now Pakistan), to Gurmukh Singh and Amrit Kaur. After his mother’s death, he was raised by his grandmother. He studied at Hindu College, Amritsar, and Panjab University, later earning degrees from Cambridge University.
After completing his D.Phil., Manmohan Singh returned to India and taught economics at Panjab University. His early critique of India’s trade policy was published in his book, ‘India’s Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth’.
Singh’s academic career included teaching at Punjab University and the Delhi School of Economics, along with a stint at UNCTAD. He joined the Indian government in 1971 and he served as the Economic Advisor and later as Chief Economic Advisor and Finance Minister. His tenure as Finance Minister (1991-1996) marked a important moment in India’s economic reforms.
Governing roles
He held various prestigious roles, including Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, RBI Governor and Chairman of the University Grants Commission. His contributions earned him multiple honours, including the Padma Vibhushan (1987) and several international awards. Singh has represented India at numerous global forums and served as a Rajya Sabha member since 1991. He was the prime minister from 2004 to 2014 and served two terms.
Singh’s family
Manmohan Singh married Gursharan Kaur in 1958 and together they have three daughters: Upinder Singh, Daman Singh and Amrit Singh. Upinder Singh, a history professor at Ashoka University, has authored six books, including ‘Ancient Delhi’ (1999) and ‘A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India’ (2008). Daman Singh, a graduate of St Stephen’s College, Delhi and the Institute of Rural Management in Anand, Gujarat, is the author of ‘The Last Frontier: People and Forests in Mizoram’ and the novel ‘Nine by Nine’.
Amrit Singh works as a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union. Ashok Pattnaik, Singh’s son-in-law, an officer of the 1983 Indian Police Service batch, became the CEO of the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) in 2016. During the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom, Singh was attacked and he later extended financial support to the Citizens’ Relief Committee. He also controversially apologised on behalf of the Indian National Congress for the violence that occurred during the massacre.
