A pioneering economic administrator, and statesman Dr Manmohan Singh passed away at the age of 92 on late Thursday.
In a statement, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) confirmed his death saying, “With profound grief, we inform the demise of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, aged 92.”
“He 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.”
As per the statement, Dr Singh 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,” it read.
Manmohan Singh’s remarkable journey ranged from humble beginnings to shaping the nation’s economic and political landscape.
Early life and education:
Manmohan Singh was born in the Sikh family of Gurmukh Singh and Amrit Kaur on September 26, 1932, in Gah, Punjab, British India.
He raised by his paternal grandmother as he lost his mother at a young age.
Post partition in 1947, his family moved to Haldwani, India, and relocated to Amritsar later.
Manmohan Singh completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Economics from Panjab University in 1952 and 1954, respectively.
Later he moved to the United Kingdom for further studies.
At the University of Cambridge, he graduated with First Class Honours in Economics in 1957. Later, in 1962, he earned a D.Phil in Economics from Oxford University, cementing his reputation as a scholar of remarkable intellectual capability.
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.
UNCTAD to Professor at DU:
From 1966 to 1969, he moved to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretariat in New York.
From 1969 to 1971, he served as the professor of International Trade at Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi.
His teaching career came to an end in 1971, and he joined the Commerce Ministry as an Economic Advisor and was appointed as the Chief Economic Advisor in the Ministry of Finance in 1972.
From Economic Advisor to Finance Secretary
Dr Manmohan Singh held multiple key positions in his career including 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.
Singh continued at the Commerce Ministry till 1976, and in in the same year moved to the Finance Ministry as Secretary. In the same year, he was also serving as honorary professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
Planning Commission and the RBI chief
Dr Manmohan SIngh was appointed as the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission from 1980 to 1982. His tenure at the Planning Commission was short but he managed the launch of the Sixth Five-Year Plan in record time.
It was in 1982, when the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had to look for a new RBI Governor as IG Patel was due to complete his tenure.
Manmohan Singh was appointed as the RBI chief in 1982 and held the position till 1985. Interestingly, he was just 50-year-old when he took the chair.
Again from 1985 to 1987, Manmohan Singh moved back to the Planning Commission, this time as its head.
