Dr Manmohan Singh Turns 91
Former prime minister, Indian economist, and academic Dr Manmohan Singh turned 91 today. Dr Singh, who was born in Gah, West Punjab, in what is today Pakistan, in 1932, served as the 13th Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. Dr Singh was the first Sikh and non-Hindu prime minister of India. He was also the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to be re-elected after completing a full five-year term.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his wishes for his predecessor and prayed for his long life and good health. “Birthday wishes to former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji. I pray for his long life and good health,” PM Modi wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Wishing the former Prime Minister, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Dr Manmohan Singh’s “integrity, unwavering commitment to nation-building and economic upliftment of the masses will always be an inspiration” for him. “Wishing him good health and happiness on his birthday,” the Congress leader posted on X.
Dr Singh, whose family migrated to India during the partition in 1947, received his education at Punjab University, Cambridge University, and Nuffield College, Oxford. After teaching economics at Delhi School of Economics and Punjab University, he joined the Indian government as an economic advisor in 1972.
Dr Singh’s introduction to politics was when he was appointed Finance Minister of India by Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao in 1991, at a time when the Indian economy was in a crisis – facing high inflation, a large budget deficit, and a shortage of foreign exchange reserves. Dr Singh introduced a series of bold economic reforms, including liberalizing trade and investment, privatizing state-owned enterprises, and reducing government spending. These reforms, according some economists, helped to revive the Indian economy and led to a period of rapid economic growth. Some argued that the reforms were too harsh and that they benefited the wealthy at the expense of the poor. Others argued that the reforms undermined India”s sovereignty and cultural identity. However, Singh”s reforms are widely credited with transforming the Indian economy and making it one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.
In 2004, Singh was chosen as the Prime Minister of India after the Congress party-led alliance secured a comfortable majority in the general election, defeating the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party. In his term as the Prime Minister, Dr Singh continued to implement economic reforms and also focused on social development programs such as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
Dr Singh”s tenure as Prime Minister was marked by a number of challenges, including the 2008 global financial crisis and the 2012 Delhi gang rape. However, he is generally credited with leading India through a period of economic growth and social development. Dr Singh retired from politics in 2014 after the Congress party was defeated in the general election.
Dr. Manmohan Singh is widely regarded as the architect of India”s economic reforms. Dr Singh”s legacy is one of economic growth, social development, and political stability.
