NEW DELHI — Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic reform program and landmark nuclear deal with the United States, has died. He was 92 years old.
Singh’s health deteriorated following a “sudden loss of consciousness at home” and he was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi late Thursday, the hospital said in a statement.
“Resuscitation efforts were immediately initiated at the home. He was rushed to the hospital at 8:06 p.m., but “despite all efforts, he could not be resuscitated and he was pronounced dead at 9:51 p.m.” announced.
The statement said Singh was being treated for an “age-related medical condition.”
Mr. Singh, a mild-mannered technocrat, became one of India’s longest-serving prime ministers for a decade, became leader of the National Congress party in the upper house of parliament, and earned a reputation as a man of great integrity. He was chosen for the role by Sonia Gandhi, the widow of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was assassinated in 2004.
However, his bright image was tarnished by corruption allegations against his cabinet members.
Mr Singh was re-elected in 2009, but his second term as prime minister was clouded by financial scandals and corruption charges surrounding the organization of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. This led to the crushing defeat of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party led by Narendra Modi in the 2014 national elections.
After stepping down as prime minister, Singh kept a low profile.
Prime Minister Modi, who succeeded Singh in 2014, described Singh as one of India’s “most eminent leaders,” who rose from humble beginnings and left a “strong footprint on our economic policy over the years.” He said he was a person who
“As the Prime Minister of our country, he has made great efforts to improve people’s lives,” PM Modi said in a post on social platform X. He said Singh’s interventions in parliament as an MP were “insightful” and that “his wisdom and humility were always visible”. ”
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in India’s Parliament from the same party as Singh, said Singh’s “deep understanding of economics inspired the nation” and that he “led India with immense wisdom and integrity.” ” he said.
“I have lost a mentor and mentor. The millions of us who admired him will remember him with the utmost pride,” Gandhi wrote of X.
The United States expressed its condolences, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Singh was “one of the greatest champions of the U.S.-India strategic partnership.”
“We mourn the loss of Dr. Singh and will always remember his dedication to bringing the United States and India closer together,” Blinken said.
Born on September 26, 1932 in a village in undivided India’s Punjab province, Singh’s glittering academic career led him to Cambridge University in England, where he earned a degree in economics in 1957. He then completed a PhD in economics at Nuffield University. Entered Oxford University in 1962.
Mr. Singh taught at Punjab University and the prestigious Delhi School of Economics, and joined the Indian government in 1971 as an economic advisor to the Ministry of Commerce. In 1982, he became chief economic advisor to the Ministry of Finance. He also served as Vice-Chairman of the Planning Commission and Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
As finance minister, Singh implemented reforms to open up the economy in 1991, transitioning India from a socialist pattern of economy to a capitalist model in the face of a huge balance of payments deficit, averting a potential economic crisis. did.
His honors include the Padma Vibhushan Award in 1987, India’s second highest civilian honor. In 1995, he received the Jawaharlal Nehru Centenary Award from the Indian Science Council. He won the Asian Money Award of the Year in 1993 and 1994.
Mr. Singh was a member of the Indian Senate and served as leader of the opposition from 1998 to 2004 before being named prime minister. He was the first Sikh to hold the country’s top post and spoke publicly in Parliament about the 1984 Sikh genocide in which then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards and about 3,000 Sikhs were killed. I apologized.
Under the Singh government, India adopted the Freedom of Information Act in 2005 to promote accountability and transparency among government officials and bureaucrats. He was also instrumental in introducing a welfare system that guaranteed at least 100 days of paid work to India’s rural population.
The coalition he led for 10 years brought together rival politicians and parties with different ideologies in different states of the country.
In a move hailed as one of his greatest achievements apart from economic reforms, Mr. Singh signed an agreement with the United States that gave India access to American nuclear technology, ending India’s nuclear isolation. .
But the deal had a negative impact on India’s government, with its communist allies withdrawing support and criticism of the deal mounting in India by the time it was finalized in 2008.
Mr. Singh adopted a pragmatic foreign policy approach and pursued a peace process with nuclear rival and neighbor Pakistan. However, his efforts suffered a major setback after Pakistani militants carried out a major gun and bomb attack in Mumbai in November 2008.
He also brokered an agreement to reopen the Nathu La Pass into Tibet, which had been closed for more than 40 years, and worked to end a border dispute with China.
His 1965 book “India’s Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Reliant Growth” dealt with India’s inward-oriented trade policy.
Singh is survived by his wife Gursharan Kaur and three daughters.
