Former PM Manmohan Singh was India's man of destiny, says G P Hinduja

Late Manmohan Singh was India's man of destiny and the country owes much to the former prime minister, who played an integral role in bringing India from nuclear isolation to the mainstream of global nuclear nations, Hinduja Group Chairman G P Hinduja said on Sunday.

In a tribute to Singh, who passed away on Thursday, Hinduja said he was a colossus among economists.

"He was India's man of destiny when the country on the brink of bankruptcy needed someone to take charge. His clear vision to revive the nation demonstrated through an epoch-making budget in 1991, marked a turning point unlike any other on the road to liberalisation," Hinduja said in a statement.

Singh helped break the shackles of India's outdated protectionist policies and opened India to the world. A transformative act, that will forever be remembered in letters of gold when the history of modern India is penned in the future, he added.

Thus, from the liberalisation of the Indian economy to the abolition of the licence raj it were his efforts that laid the foundation for India's economic transformation and opened the doors for global trade, Hinduja recollected.

"India as we know it today, owes much to this humble yet courageous person in Dr Singh who played an integral role in bringing India from nuclear isolation to the mainstream of global nuclear nations," he noted.

Hinduja further said, "It is in fact Dr Manmohan Singh's statesmanship, that has helped India achieve its pride of place on the path of prosperity and he will forever be remembered for that.