Dr. Manmohan Singh, who passed away on 26 December 2024, aged 92, was an eminent economist and statesman who served as the 14th Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014.
Career Highlights
- Prime
Minister (2004–2014): Leading the United Progressive
Alliance (UPA), he was the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to
be re-elected after completing a full five-year term.
- Architect
of Economic Reforms: As Finance Minister (1991–1996), he
is credited with ushering in "liberalisation, privatisation, and
globalisation" (LPG), which shifted India toward a market-oriented
economy and averted a balance of payments crisis.
- Key
Offices Held:
- Governor
of the Reserve Bank of India (1982–1985).
- Deputy
Chairman of the Planning Commission (1985–1987).
- Member
of the Rajya Sabha representing Assam
and later Rajasthan for over three decades until his retirement in April
2024.
Major Policy Achievements
- Civil
Nuclear Deal: He successfully negotiated the
Indo-US Civil Nuclear Agreement in 2008, a landmark shift in India's
foreign and energy policy.
- Social
Rights Legislation: His government introduced several
transformative acts, including the Right to Information (RTI)
Act (2005), the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) (2005), and the Right to Education (RTE) Act.
- Economic
Growth: During his tenure, India experienced some of its highest
average annual GDP growth rates, pulling millions out of poverty.
