Who is Manmohan Singh?
Dr Manmohan Singh was an Indian politician, academician, economist, and bureaucrat who served as the Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He was an Oxford- and Cambridge-educated economist credited with shaping India's economic and social welfare reforms.
He was the fourth longest-serving prime minister of India after Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Narendra Modi. As a Sikh, he was the first non-Hindu to occupy the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and was also the first PM since Jawaharlal Nehru to be re-elected after completing a full five-year term.
He passed away on December 26, 2024, at the age of 92.
Early life, education, and career
He passed away on December 26, 2024, at the age of 92.
Early life, education, and career
Manmohan Singh was born on September 26, 1932 in Punjab. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Economics from Panjab University in 1952 and 1954 respectively. In 1957, he completed his Economic Tripos from Cambridge University. He gained a D Phil degree in Economics from Oxford University in 1962. Dr Singh taught as a senior lecturer and economics professor at Punjab University and as a professor of international trade at Delhi School of Economics.
He has also received honorary doctorates from University of Bologna, University of Jammu and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee.
In 1971, He joined the Government of India as an Economic Advisor in the Commerce Ministry and got promoted to Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) in the Finance Ministry in 1972. After a short journey at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretariat from 1966 to 1969, he was appointed Secretary General of the South Commission in Geneva from 1987-1990.
Moreover, he also held the positions of Secretary in the Finance Ministry, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Advisor to the Prime Minister and Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Dr Singh has been a Member of the Rajya Sabha since 1991 where he was Leader of the Opposition from 1998-2004. Following the Congress Party’s historic victories in 2004 and 2009, he took the Office of Prime Minister on May 22, 2004 and again on May 22, 2009.