Outgoing US President Joe Biden has paid tributes to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and called him a “true statesman” and a “dedicated public servant”. Dr Singh, who held office from 2004 to 2014 and was known as one of the architects of economic reforms in 1991 that pulled India from the brink of bankruptcy, died Thursday at 92.

“The unprecedented level of cooperation between the United States and India today would not have been possible without the Prime Minister’s strategic vision and political courage,” Mr Biden said in a statement on Friday.

From forging the US-India Civil Nuclear Agreement to helping launch the first Quad between Indo-Pacific partners, Manmohan Singh charted “pathbreaking progress that will continue to strengthen our nations — and the world —for generations to come,” Mr Biden said.

Under the leadership of Dr Singh and then US President George W Bush, India and the US announced in 2005 that they would cooperate in civil nuclear energy.

Following a series of negotiations, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is a United Nations agency that promotes the peaceful use of nuclear energy and technology, approved the safeguards agreement with India in August 2008, following which the US approached the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to grant a waiver to New Delhi to commence civilian nuclear trade.

The NSG then granted the waiver to India on September 6, 2008, allowing it to access civilian nuclear technology and fuel from other countries.

Mr Biden also recalled meeting Dr Singh as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2008 and as the US Vice President during his official state visit to the US in 2009.

“He also graciously hosted me in New Delhi in 2013. As we discussed then, the US-India relationship is among the most consequential in the world. And together, as partners and friends, our nations can unlock a future of dignity and unlimited potential for all of our people,” Mr Biden said.

“During this difficult time, we recommit to this vision to which Prime Minister Singh dedicated his life. And Jill (US First Lady) and I send our deepest condolences to former First Lady Gursharan Kaur, their three children, and all the people of India,” he added.

Manmohan Singh’s last rites will be held with full state honours today at the Nigambodh Ghat, a public cremation ground in Delhi.

Several politicians, including President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are expected to attend the funeral.

A local at former Prime minister Manmohan Singh’s ancestral Gah village, in Chakwal district, Pakistan. Singh, the architect of India’s economic reforms, died in New Delhi. He was 92.
| Photo Credit: PTI

“The entire village is in mourning. We feel that someone from our family has died today,” Altaf Hussain said as a group of local residents held a meeting to condole the death of village boy Manmohan who became Prime Minister next door.

Mr. Hussain is a teacher at the same school in Gah village where Dr. Manmohan Singh studied up to Class 4. His father Gurmukh Singh was a cloth merchant and his mother Amrat Kaur a homemaker. His friends called him ‘Mohna’.

The village lies about 100 km southwest of capital Islamabad and was part of Jhelum district when Dr. Singh was born. It was included in Chakwal when it was made a district in 1986.

Surrounded by lush green fields, the place can be reached from M-2 motorway linking Islamabad to Lahore, as well as from Chakwal city.

The former Prime Minister of India died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on Thursday night. He was 92.

Raja Ashiq Ali, nephew of Raja Muhammad Ali, a schoolmate who travelled to Delhi in 2008 to meet him, addressed the meeting. “All these villagers are deeply moved… They were eager to attend his last rites in India, but it is not possible. So, they are here to mourn,” he said.

Dr. Singh’s rise brought to spotlight his forgotten ancestral village. Some classmates who were around when he became Prime Minister in 2004 are dead now. But their families still live in Gah and cherish the old link.

“We are still overwhelmed by the memory of the days when everyone in the village felt proud that a boy from our village had become the Prime Minister of India,” Mr. Ashiq Ali said.

The most iconic place in the village is perhaps the school where Singh got his early education. His admission number in the register is 187, and the date of admission April 17, 1937. His date of birth is entered as February 4, 1932, his caste as ‘Kohli’.

Local people credit the Singh connection for the renovation of the school and say there was some talk about naming it after the Indian politician. His rise in India prompted local authorities to concentrate on the development of the village, they believe.

Dr. Singh shifted to Chakwal after Class 4. Shortly before Partition, the family moved to Amritsar, according to the villagers.

Dr. Singh invited one of his friends, Raja Muhammad Ali, to visit him in Delhi in 2008. Ali died in 2010, and so did a couple of other friends in the years that followed.

‘Mohna’ never came back to Gah and finally the news of his passing arrived, severing the bond with the village.

“Dr. Manmohan Singh could not come to Gah in his lifetime. But now when he is no more, we want that someone from his family should come and pay a visit to this village,” the schoolteacher said.

New Delhi:

India’s economic growth post-liberalisation cannot be hailed without recognizing the significant contribution of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. His journey began long before he assumed charge as the 13th Prime Minister of the country.

When India was facing a balance of payments crisis, Dr Singh, along with then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, steered the economy onto the path of development through liberalization and served as the Finance Minister in Rao’s government.

As Finance Minister under Prime Minister Rao from 1991 to 1996, Singh played a pivotal role in liberalizing India’s economy. He reduced the License Raj and streamlined regulations, significantly reducing government interference in industries.

He also introduced trade reforms, cutting import tariffs and moving towards an open-market economy. The major reforms in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which India continues to benefit from, were initiated under his leadership, allowing FDI in key sectors.

The devaluation of the rupee, which Singh oversaw, helped make Indian exports more competitive, boosting export potential. He also introduced tax reforms that simplified the tax structure and widened the tax base. These efforts led India through a period of economic growth and policy transformation during his tenure.

Presenting the first budget as Finance Minister on July 24, 1991, Singh said in Parliament, “I am confident that, after a successful implementation of stabilisation measures and the essential structural and policy reforms, our economy would return to a path of high sustained growth with reasonable price stability and greater social equity.”

When he assumed charge as Prime Minister, the country experienced sustained economic growth. India achieved an average growth rate of 7 per cent during his first term. According to IMF data, India’s GDP from 2004 to 2014 averaged a growth rate of around 6.7 per cent.

During the 2008 global financial crisis, Dr Singh successfully steered the Indian economy with minimal damage.

The crisis, triggered by cheap credit and lax lending standards that led to a housing price bubble, left financial institutions holding trillions of dollars in worthless mortgages when the bubble burst.

Under Dr Singh’s leadership as Prime Minister, the government took aggressive countercyclical measures. The Reserve Bank of India sharply relaxed monetary policy, and the government introduced fiscal stimulus to boost domestic demand.

Dr Singh is also hailed as a socialist for his reforms like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which aimed to provide employment and reduce rural poverty. This scheme guaranteed work to a person from rural households for 100 days, and it significantly improved the livelihoods.

The success of today’s Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system and reduced leakages in welfare schemes can be traced back to Dr Singh’s initiative to launch the Aadhaar project. This project later became a cornerstone for financial inclusion and welfare distribution.

He also played a critical role in negotiating the India-US Civil Nuclear Agreement, opening up nuclear energy for civilian purposes. On August 1, 2008, the IAEA Board of Governors approved India’s safeguards agreement, paving the way for India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

Speaking about nuclear energy, Dr Singh remarked, “The civil nuclear initiative is good for India and good for the world. As we move forward towards our goal of sustainable development and energy security, the peaceful uses of atomic energy will play an increasingly important role.”

Dr Singh’s tenure as both Finance Minister and Prime Minister marked a transformative era in India’s economic landscape. His visionary policies laid the foundation for modern India’s economic rise.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

In his signature white kurta-pyjama and blue turban, Manmohan Singh, then 71, took the oath of office as India’s 14th Prime Minister on May 22, 2004. Members of Dr Singh’s family, political allies, and predecessors – including Atal Bihari Vajpayee – looked on as a quiet and reserved leader assumed the reins of power at a ceremony conducted by then-President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Until the 2004 election results were announced, it was widely assumed that the incumbent NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee would secure a second term. The BJP’s high-profile “India Shining” campaign dominated the airwaves. Political analysts and exit polls had overwhelmingly predicted a BJP-led victory. However, the Congress party, under Sonia Gandhi’s leadership, spearheaded a comeback.

READ | “People Say I Was…”: When Manmohan Singh Defended “Silent PM” Charge

The Congress-led UPA coalition emerged victorious, securing enough support from regional allies to form the government. Sonia Gandhi, expected by many to assume the prime ministership, instead made a decision that surprised many: she stepped aside in favour of Manmohan Singh, citing her “inner voice”.

Sonia Gandhi’s Italian roots have been a contentious political issue since she entered active politics in 1998. In 2004, despite Congress’s electoral success, the issue resurfaced when BJP leaders like Sushma Swaraj and Uma Bharti reignited the controversy. Ms Swaraj even threatened dramatic protests, including shaving her head, should Mrs Gandhi become Prime Minister.

READ | Manmohan Singh’s Poetic Banter With Sushma Swaraj In Parliament

Sonia Gandhi also faced resistance internally. In his autobiography, One Life Is Not Enough, former External Affairs minister and Congress leader Natwar Singh recounted a tense moment at Mrs Gandhi’s residence, where Rahul Gandhi strongly urged his mother not to accept the position, citing his worries in light of the assassinations of his father, Rajiv Gandhi, and grandmother, Indira Gandhi.

Mrs Gandhi’s refusal to accept the top post paved the way for Manmohan Singh’s ascent. As a soft-spoken technocrat with no mass political base, Dr Singh was an unlikely choice. A career economist who had served as Finance Minister in PV Narasimha Rao’s government during the 1991 economic liberalisation, Dr Singh had earned respect in policy circles but lacked the typical attributes of a political leader. His lone attempt to contest a Lok Sabha seat, from South Delhi in 1999, ended in defeat, and Dr Singh remained a Rajya Sabha member throughout his political career.

READ | “Greatest Champion”: World Leaders Pay Tributes To Ex-PM Manmohan Singh

Despite being termed the “Accidental Prime Minister,” Dr Singh’s decade-long tenure was marked by some great achievements. His government launched transformative programs like the Right to Information (RTI), the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), and the Right to Education (RTE).

Dr Singh’s tenure, however, was not without controversies. In 2008, his government faced a confidence vote after the Left parties withdrew support over the Indo-US nuclear deal. Dr Singh staked his political capital on the agreement, arguing it was crucial for India’s energy security. His government survived the trust vote by a narrow margin.

The UPA lost power in 2014, with Narendra Modi’s BJP securing a landslide victory. Dr Singh exited public life with characteristic grace, stating, “I honestly believe history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media or for that matter, the Opposition parties in Parliament.”

New Delhi:

Dr Manmohan Singh’s critics often labelled him as a “silent Prime Minister”, taking a dig at his reticent demeanour during his decade-long tenure at the helm of the UPA government from 2004 to 2014. However, there were moments when the former PM defended himself. 

In 2018, at the launch of ‘Changing India’, a six-volume book set in which Dr Singh chronicled thoughts on his career as an economist who was instrumental in India liberalising its market to him becoming the PM, he stood his ground. 

“People say I was a silent Prime Minister. I think these volumes speak for themselves. I wasn’t the PM who was afraid of talking to the press. I met the press regularly, and on every foreign trip I undertook, I had a press conference on return. So there are a large number of those press conferences whose results are also described in the book,” Dr Singh said. 

Dr Singh, India’s 14th PM and one of its most respected economists, died last night at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. He was 92.

Born on September 26, 1932, in Gah, Punjab (now in Pakistan), Mr Singh’s journey stretched from an academically gifted student in a village with no electricity to one of India’s most influential leaders. After earning a First-Class Honours degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge in 1957, he pursued a D.Phil. in Economics at  Oxford. He began his career as an academic, teaching at Punjab University and later the Delhi School of Economics, before moving into public service.

Dr Singh’s appointment as Finance Minister in 1991 by then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao marked the turning point for India’s economy. At a time when the country was on the brink of financial collapse, Dr Singh ushered in sweeping liberalisation reforms. He dismantled the licence raj, unshackled private enterprise, and repurchased the gold reserves India had mortgaged just months earlier. 

His work earned him recognition as the architect of modern India’s economic framework.

New Delhi:

Much of India’s foreign policy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi stands on solid ground due the foundation laid by two of his immediate predecessors – former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

India’s global diplomacy made a tectonic shift in its policy and outlook on the back of two major decisions taken by New Delhi in the 1990s – the liberalisation of India’s economy in 1991 – for which then finance minister Manmohan Singh is credited as the architect of India’s “most significant economic reforms”, and in 1998 when the nuclear test was carried out at Pokhran under the stewardship of then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Today, India is regarded as a rising global power and many leaders have contributed greatly in this endeavour, but these were the defining moments from where modern India’s journey began.

India has now lost both these leaders. Manmohan Singh died late evening on Thursday, leaving a nation of 1.4 billion in mourning. “India mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders, Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji,” wrote Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his tribute to his predecessor.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also grieved the death of the former prime minister. In his tribute, Dr Jaishankar wrote “While regarded as the architect of Indian economic reforms, he was equally responsible for the strategic corrections to our foreign policy. Was immensely privileged to work closely with him. Will always remember his kindness and courtesy.”

THE NUCLEAR DEAL – A WATERSHED MOMENT

Though his discipline was primarily finance and economics, Manmohan Singh was always known to have a keen interest in foreign affairs. This domain became an area of special focus when Dr Singh took the reins from Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2004. Largely in agreement with the direction India’s foreign policy had taken since the Pokhran nuclear tests, Dr Singh continued to build on what the Vajpayee government had done thus far.

He understood the importance of creating India’s legacy as a responsible nuclear weapons state whilst securing a clean-chit from the Nuclear Suppliers Group or NSG in order to build on India’s civil nuclear agreement starting with the United States. Securing the nod from the NSG was a watershed moment in India’s history.

When Manmohan Singh became the prime minister in 2004, S Jaishankar was the Joint Secretary (Americas) at the Ministry of External Affairs. In this capacity, Dr Jaishankar was deeply involved in negotiating the landmark India-US civil nuclear agreement and improving defence co-operation between the two nations.

Manmohan Singh picked S Jaishankar to be one of the key members to shape India’s nuclear policy and get the necessary clearances for nuclear cooperation with other countries too. For this, Dr Singh gave special clearance to Dr Jaishankar to have unrestricted access to the Department of Atomic Energy as well as the Prime Minister’s Office.

Under Dr Singh’s leadership, Dr Jaishankar worked and negotiated tirelessly to help India secure a clearance from the Nuclear Suppliers Group, as well as set up the framework for the civil nuclear deal with America. The framework of the agreement was backed by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who was the President of India till 2007 – a year before the deal finally got inked.

For their role in successfully securing the deal, Manmohan Singh and S Jaishankar went on to be widely regarded as the architects of the India-US civil nuclear agreement. For the deal to become a reality Manmohan Singh had even staked the survival of his government in 2008.

On September 6, 2008, the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) adopted a policy decision allowing civil nuclear cooperation between all its member states and India. This groundwork laid by Manmohan Singh was built up on Narendra Modi when he became prime minister in 2014.

Dr S Jaishankar went on to become the Foreign Secretary and then External Affairs Minister in the Narendra Modi government.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, today, besides the US, India has a civil nuclear agreement with France, Russia, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia, UAE, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Argentina, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Czech Republic, Sri Lanka, and Namibia.

DIPLOMATIC POLICY

From the start, Manmohan Singh continued with Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s policy of ‘greater engagement’ – something that is followed even today by the Modi government – though the engagement with Pakistan no longer exists due to India’s firm policy that “talks and terror cannot go hand-in-hand”.

The policy of greater engagement – a shift from the previously-followed policy of non-alignment – allowed India to build on its vision of a multi-polar world from a largely bi-polar world – the US and Russia during the Cold War, and more recently the US and China.

Strengthening this policy during his tenure as prime minister, Manmohan Singh gave emphasis to ties with the US, Russia, China, and Pakistan – countries which at that time were considered most critical for India’s foreign policy.

DIPLOMATIC CHALLENGES

Building on Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s legacy of trying to resolve differences with Pakistan, Dr Singh’s government engaged with three successive governments in Islamabad. Several noteworthy gestures of peace were sent, but all the efforts made by successive governments in India since 1999 went in vain after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

With China too, the Manmohan Singh government engaged with two different regimes, and considerable progress was made in maintaining peace along the Line of Actual Control or LAC – the boundary between India and China. Several confidence-building measures were taken in order to maintain this, but there were still several incidences of transgressions by Chinese troops, one of some of them even led to temporary standoffs in the Ladakh region.

OTHER NOTEWORTHY CONTRIBUTIONS

Ties with Russia grew further and significant strides were made with regard to relations with Japan. Ties with Tokyo were elevated to the level of a strategic partnership. Dr Singh’s government also worked to build on India’s then over-a-decade-old ‘Look East’ policy – which we know today as the ‘Act East’ policy.

Under Manmohan Singh’s leadership, significant enhancements were made to India’s ties with African countries as well as Latin-American nations. This was built upon by PM Modi after taking office in 2014. Today, India plays a very important role as the “voice of the Global South”.
 

New Delhi:

Much of India’s foreign policy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi stands on solid ground due the foundation laid by two of his immediate predecessors – former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

India’s global diplomacy made a tectonic shift in its policy and outlook on the back of two major decisions taken by New Delhi in the 1990s – the liberalisation of India’s economy in 1991 – for which then finance minister Manmohan Singh is credited as the architect of India’s “most significant economic reforms”, and in 1998 when the nuclear test was carried out at Pokhran under the stewardship of then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Today, India is regarded as a rising global power and many leaders have contributed greatly in this endeavour, but these were the defining moments from where modern India’s journey began.

India has now lost both these leaders. Manmohan Singh died late evening on Thursday, leaving a nation of 1.4 billion in mourning. “India mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders, Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji,” wrote Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his tribute to his predecessor.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also grieved the death of the former prime minister. In his tribute, Dr Jaishankar wrote “While regarded as the architect of Indian economic reforms, he was equally responsible for the strategic corrections to our foreign policy. Was immensely privileged to work closely with him. Will always remember his kindness and courtesy.”

THE NUCLEAR DEAL – A WATERSHED MOMENT

Though his discipline was primarily finance and economics, Manmohan Singh was always known to have a keen interest in foreign affairs. This domain became an area of special focus when Dr Singh took the reins from Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2004. Largely in agreement with the direction India’s foreign policy had taken since the Pokhran nuclear tests, Dr Singh continued to build on what the Vajpayee government had done thus far.

He understood the importance of creating India’s legacy as a responsible nuclear weapons state whilst securing a clean-chit from the Nuclear Suppliers Group or NSG in order to build on India’s civil nuclear agreement starting with the United States. Securing the nod from the NSG was a watershed moment in India’s history.

When Manmohan Singh became the prime minister in 2004, S Jaishankar was the Joint Secretary (Americas) at the Ministry of External Affairs. In this capacity, Dr Jaishankar was deeply involved in negotiating the landmark India-US civil nuclear agreement and improving defence co-operation between the two nations.

Manmohan Singh picked S Jaishankar to be one of the key members to shape India’s nuclear policy and get the necessary clearances for nuclear cooperation with other countries too. For this, Dr Singh gave special clearance to Dr Jaishankar to have unrestricted access to the Department of Atomic Energy as well as the Prime Minister’s Office.

Under Dr Singh’s leadership, Dr Jaishankar worked and negotiated tirelessly to help India secure a clearance from the Nuclear Suppliers Group, as well as set up the framework for the civil nuclear deal with America. The framework of the agreement was backed by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who was the President of India till 2007 – a year before the deal finally got inked.

For their role in successfully securing the deal, Manmohan Singh and S Jaishankar went on to be widely regarded as the architects of the India-US civil nuclear agreement. For the deal to become a reality Manmohan Singh had even staked the survival of his government in 2008.

On September 6, 2008, the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) adopted a policy decision allowing civil nuclear cooperation between all its member states and India. This groundwork laid by Manmohan Singh was built up on Narendra Modi when he became prime minister in 2014.

Dr S Jaishankar went on to become the Foreign Secretary and then External Affairs Minister in the Narendra Modi government.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, today, besides the US, India has a civil nuclear agreement with France, Russia, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia, UAE, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Argentina, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Czech Republic, Sri Lanka, and Namibia.

DIPLOMATIC POLICY

From the start, Manmohan Singh continued with Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s policy of ‘greater engagement’ – something that is followed even today by the Modi government – though the engagement with Pakistan no longer exists due to India’s firm policy that “talks and terror cannot go hand-in-hand”.

The policy of greater engagement – a shift from the previously-followed policy of non-alignment – allowed India to build on its vision of a multi-polar world from a largely bi-polar world – the US and Russia during the Cold War, and more recently the US and China.

Strengthening this policy during his tenure as prime minister, Manmohan Singh gave emphasis to ties with the US, Russia, China, and Pakistan – countries which at that time were considered most critical for India’s foreign policy.

DIPLOMATIC CHALLENGES

Building on Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s legacy of trying to resolve differences with Pakistan, Dr Singh’s government engaged with three successive governments in Islamabad. Several noteworthy gestures of peace were sent, but all the efforts made by successive governments in India since 1999 went in vain after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

With China too, the Manmohan Singh government engaged with two different regimes, and considerable progress was made in maintaining peace along the Line of Actual Control or LAC – the boundary between India and China. Several confidence-building measures were taken in order to maintain this, but there were still several incidences of transgressions by Chinese troops, one of some of them even led to temporary standoffs in the Ladakh region.

OTHER NOTEWORTHY CONTRIBUTIONS

Ties with Russia grew further and significant strides were made with regard to relations with Japan. Ties with Tokyo were elevated to the level of a strategic partnership. Dr Singh’s government also worked to build on India’s then over-a-decade-old ‘Look East’ policy – which we know today as the ‘Act East’ policy.

Under Manmohan Singh’s leadership, significant enhancements were made to India’s ties with African countries as well as Latin-American nations. This was built upon by PM Modi after taking office in 2014. Today, India plays a very important role as the “voice of the Global South”.
 

New Delhi:

The sprawling 3, Motilal Nehru Road bungalow in Lutyens’ Delhi served for over 10 years as the retirement abode of former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who died Thursday.

A spacious Type-VIII bungalow amid the three-acre plot, Mr Singh had moved to this address in the national capital after attending Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony in May 2014.

Prime Minister Modi succeeded him as India’s prime minister and checked into 7 Race Course Road (now 7 Lok Kalyan Marg), the official residence of the prime minister, where Mr Singh stayed for 10 years.

Earlier, the four-bedroom bungalow was the official residence of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit who had vacated it after her party’s loss in the Delhi assembly elections. She died in 2019 at the age of 81.

After Ms Dikshit vacated the bungalow, the CPWD completely renovated and restored it by re-doing the flooring and pillars.

Mr Singh, being a former prime minister, had SPG protection along with his family.

The bungalow was home to about 40 full-grown trees, including peepul, arjun, goolar, marorfalli, jamun, neem, mango and seemal, which shelter about 60 species of birds and mammals, when Mr Singh, accompanied by his wife Gursharan Kaur had moved into this prime address in Lutyens’ Delhi.

The sprawling lawns of the property also provided shelter to a sizeable number of bats.

“Although no count has been taken, the bats could number more than 200,” a senior CPWD official who was involved in getting the house ready for Mr Singh and his family, had then said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Centre will declare a period of national mourning for seven days to honour former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who died at the age of 92 on Thursday, sources have said. The former Prime Minister’s last rites will be conducted with full state honours.

All government programmes scheduled for Friday will be cancelled and the Union Cabinet will hold a meeting at 11 am, the sources added. 

When a period of national mourning is declared, the National Flag will be flown at half-mast on the days of mourning throughout India on all buildings where it is flown regularly and there will be no official entertainment on the days. 

The Congress has also declared that all official programmes of the party, including Foundation Day celebration will be cancelled for next seven days and will resume on January 3. The party flag will also be flown at half-mast.

“As a mark of respect for the departed former Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh ji, all official programmes of the Indian National Congress, including the Foundation Day celebrations stand canceled for the next seven days. This includes all the agitational and outreach programs. Party programmes will resume on 3rd January, 2025. The party flag will be flown at half mast during this period of mourning,” Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal posted on X.

As a mark of respect for the departed former Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh ji, all official programmes of the Indian National Congress, including the Foundation Day celebrations stand canceled for the next seven days.

This includes all the agitational and outreach programs.…

— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) December 26, 2024

Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister for two successive terms between 2004 and 2014 and had also served as the finance minister under PV Narasimha Rao between 1991 and 1996. He is credited with ushering in liberalisation in India in 1991 through one of the country’s most consequential Union Budgets. 

One of India’s most respected politicians, tributes poured in for Manmohan Singh from across the political spectrum. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed Manmohan Singh one of India’s most distinguished leaders and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said he had lost a “mentor and guide”. 

“India mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders, Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji. Rising from humble origins, he rose to become a respected economist. He served in various government positions as well, including as Finance Minister, leaving a strong imprint on our economic policy over the years. His interventions in Parliament were also insightful. As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people’s lives,” PM Modi posted on X.

Rahul Gandhi wrote, “Manmohan Singh Ji led India with immense wisdom and integrity. His humility and deep understanding of economics inspired the nation. My heartfelt condolences to Mrs Kaur and the family. I have lost a mentor and guide. Millions of us who admired him will remember him with the utmost pride.”

New Delhi:

In his last press conference as Prime Minister on January 3, 2014, Dr Manmohan Singh made a remark that has made the rounds on social media multiple times over the past decade.

In that press conference, NDTV’s Sunil Prabhu had asked Dr Singh about his inability to rein in his ministers and his refusal to act in several situations. Responding to this, Dr Singh had said with a smile, “I honestly believe history will be kinder to me than the contemporary media or for that matter, the Opposition parties in Parliament.”

“I cannot divulge all the things that take place in the cabinet system of government. I think taking into account the circumstances and the compulsions of a coalition polity, I have done as best as I could do under the circumstances,” he had added.

At the time, the UPA-II government was reeling under allegations of corruption in several of its ministries, a key reason behind the Congress’s rout in the 2014 general election and the Narendra Modi-led BJP’s ascent to power.

The 92-year-old former Prime Minister breathed his last today. He had been keeping unwell for a while. The AIIMS said in a statement that Dr Singh was under treatment for age-related conditions. Today, he lost consciousness at home. “Resuscitative measures were started immediately at home. He was brought to the Medical Emergency at AIIMS at 8.06 PM. Despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9.51 PM,” the hospital said.

Before heading the Executive as Prime Minister, Dr Singh served as Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and oversaw India’s economic reforms under the PV Narasimha Rao government as Finance Minister.

Mourning his predecessor in the top post, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said India mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders.

“India mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders, Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji. Rising from humble origins, he rose to become a respected economist. He served in various government positions as well, including as Finance Minister, leaving a strong imprint on our economic policy over the years. His interventions in Parliament were also insightful. As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people’s lives,” Prime Minister Modi said in a post on X.