75 Facts About Manmohan Singh

Manmohan Singh was an Indian economist, bureaucrat, academician and statesman who served as the prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014.

Manmohan Singh was the fourth longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Narendra Modi.

Manmohan Singh was the first prime minister since Nehru to be re-appointed after completing a full five-year term.

Manmohan Singh subsequently began his bureaucratic career when Lalit Narayan Mishra hired him as an advisor in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The 2009 general election saw the UPA return with an increased mandate, with Manmohan Singh retaining the office of prime minister.

Manmohan Singh opted out from the race for the office of prime minister during the 2014 Indian general election.

Manmohan Singh served as a member of the Rajya Sabha, representing the state of Assam from 1991 to 2019 and Rajasthan from 2019 to 2024.

Manmohan Singh was born to Gurmukh Manmohan Singh Kohli and Amrit Kaur on 26 September 1932, in Gah, Punjab, British India, into a family of Punjabi Sikh dried fruit traders of Khatri background.

Manmohan Singh was raised by his paternal grandmother Jamna Devi, with whom he was very close.

Manmohan Singh was initially educated at a local gurdwara, where he began studying Urdu and Punjabi.

Manmohan Singh sat for his matriculation examination in the summer of 1947.

Manmohan Singh attended Panjab University, then in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, studying Economics and got his bachelor's and master's degrees in 1952 and 1954, respectively, standing first throughout his academic career.

Manmohan Singh completed his Economics Tripos at University of Cambridge in 1957.

Manmohan Singh questioned me a great deal and made me think the unthinkable.

Manmohan Singh propounded the left wing interpretation of Keynes, maintaining that the state has to play more of a role if you really want to combine development with social equity.

Manmohan Singh was a senior lecturer of economics at Panjab University from 1957 to 1959.

From 1969 to 1971, Manmohan Singh was a professor of international trade at the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi.

In 1972, Manmohan Singh was chief economic adviser in the Ministry of Finance, and in 1976 he was secretary in the Finance Ministry.

Manmohan Singh went on to become the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission from 1985 to 1987.

Manmohan Singh returned to India from Geneva in November 1990 and held the post as the advisor to Prime Minister of India on economic affairs during the tenure of Chandra Shekar.

Manmohan Singh eventually tracked me down the next morning, rather angry, and demanded that I get dressed up and come to Rashtrapati Bhavan for the swearing in.

Manmohan Singh explained to the PM and the party that India is facing an unprecedented crisis.

Subsequently, Manmohan Singh, who had thus far been one of the most influential architects of India's socialist economy, eliminated the license raj, reduced state control of the economy, and reduced import taxes.

Rao and Manmohan Singh thus implemented policies to open up the economy and change India's socialist economy to a more capitalistic one.

In 1993, Manmohan Singh offered his resignation from the post of Finance Minister after a parliamentary investigation report criticised his ministry for not being able to anticipate a US$1.8billion 1992 securities scandal.

Manmohan Singh was first elected to the upper house of Parliament, the Rajya Sabha, in 1991 by the legislature of the state of Assam, and was re-elected in 1995,2001,2007 and 2013.

From 1998 to 2004, while the Bharatiya Janata Party was in power, Manmohan Singh was the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

Manmohan Singh liberalised the Indian economy, allowing it to speed up development dramatically.

Manmohan Singh's ministry enacted a National Employment Guarantee Act in 2005.

Manmohan Singh's government continued the Golden Quadrilateral and the highway modernisation program that was initiated by Vajpayee's government.

Manmohan Singh worked on reforming the banking and financial sectors, as well as public sector companies.

In 2005, Manmohan Singh's government introduced the value added tax, replacing sales tax.

On 2 July 2009, Manmohan Singh ministry introduced the Right to Education Act act.

Manmohan Singh's government strengthened anti-terror laws with amendments to Unlawful Activities Act.

Manmohan Singh's administration initiated a massive reconstruction effort in Kashmir to stabilise the region but after some period of success, insurgent infiltration and terrorism in Kashmir has increased since 2009.

The Manmohan Singh administration was successful in reducing terrorism in Northeast India.

Manmohan Singh continued the peace process with Pakistan initiated by his predecessor, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

In November 2006, Chinese President Hu Jintao visited India which was followed by Manmohan Singh's visit to Beijing in January 2008.

Manmohan Singh paid an official visit to China from 22 to 24 October 2013.

Under the leadership of Manmohan Singh, India emerged as one of the single largest aid donors to Afghanistan.

Manmohan Singh's government worked towards stronger ties with the United States.

Manmohan Singh visited the United States in July 2005 initiating negotiations over the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement.

Manmohan Singh had the first official state visit to the White House during the administration of US President Barack Obama.

Manmohan Singh carried forward the momentum which was established after the "Brasilia Declaration" in 2003 and the IBSA Dialogue Forum was formed.

Manmohan Singh's government has been especially keen on expanding ties with Israel.

In 2009, Manmohan Singh was among the leaders who laid the foundation of the BRICS.

Manmohan Singh criticised the West for the use of force to enforce regime change in Syria and Libya during his speech at the UN in September 2011.

Strong showing in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh helped the United Progressive Alliance form the new government under the incumbent Manmohan Singh, who became the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962 to win re-election after completing a full five-year term.

On 22 May 2009, Manmohan Singh was sworn in as the prime minister during a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Manmohan Singh declined to appear before a Joint Parliamentary Committee in April 2013 when called upon by one of the members of JPC Yashwant Sinha for his alleged involvement in the 2G case.

Manmohan Singh expressed empathy, saying: "As a father of three daughters I feel as strongly about the incident as each one of you".

The 2012 report filed by the CAG in Parliament of India states that due to the allocation of coal blocks to certain private companies without bidding process the nation suffered an estimated loss of Rs 1.85trillion between 2005 and 2009 in which Manmohan Singh was the coal minister of India.

Manmohan Singh did not contest the 2014 general election for the 16th Lok Sabha as the prime ministerial candidate.

Manmohan Singh resigned his post as prime minister after the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance won the election.

Manmohan Singh served as the acting prime minister till 26 May 2014, when Narendra Modi was sworn in as the new prime minister.

In 2016, it was announced that Manmohan Singh was to take up a position at Panjab University as the Jawaharlal Nehru Chair, which he eventually did not.

Manmohan Singh was elected as the Rajya Sabha MP for Rajasthan in 2019, succeeding BJP MP Madan Lal Saini.

Manmohan Singh retired from the Rajya Sabha in April 2024 and was succeeded by Sonia Gandhi.

Khushwant Manmohan Singh lauded Manmohan Singh as the best prime minister India has had, even rating him higher than Jawaharlal Nehru.

Manmohan Singh was ranked 18 on the 2010 Forbes list of the World's Most Powerful People.

Forbes magazine described Manmohan Singh as being "universally praised as India's best prime minister since Nehru".

Time magazine described Manmohan Singh as "guiding India into the ranks of the great powers".

Additionally, Manmohan Singh faced negative reception following the 2008 Mumbai attacks for falling short on enhancing national security.

Political opponents, including BJP co-founder L K Advani, have claimed that Singh is a "weak" prime minister.

Ideological differences are short lived, but the way Manmohan Singh has guided this House and the country for such a long period, he will be remembered for his contributions during every discussion on our democracy.

Modi recalled when Manmohan Singh arrived at the Parliament in a wheelchair to cast his vote over a key legislation.

Upinder Manmohan Singh is a professor of history at Ashoka University.

Daman Manmohan Singh is a graduate of St Stephen's College, Delhi and Institute of Rural Management, Anand, Gujarat, and author of The Last Frontier: People and Forests in Mizoram and a novel, Nine by Nine, Amrit Manmohan Singh is a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union.

Manmohan Singh was attacked during the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots and provided financial assistance to the Citizens' Relief Committee.

Until his death, Manmohan Singh resided at 3, Motilal Nehru Marg in New Delhi.

Manmohan Singh underwent multiple cardiac bypass surgeries, the last of which took place in January 2009.

In May 2020, Manmohan Singh was hospitalised at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences due to a negative reaction from his medication.

In October 2021, Manmohan Singh was hospitalised again at the AIIMS after experiencing weakness and fever.

On 26 December 2024, Manmohan Singh collapsed at his home in New Delhi and was admitted to the emergency department of AIIMS Delhi.

Manmohan Singh died a few hours after his hospitalisation at the age of 92.