From Academics To The PM Office, Remembering Dr Manmohan Singh's Legacy
Manmohan Singh served as India's Prime Minister twice between 2004 and 2014.
Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh breathed his last on December 26 at the age of 92. Known for his illustrious academic career, Manmohan Singh is credited for reshaping the economic policies of the country with his intellect and leadership. Born on September 26, 1932, in Punjab, Dr Manmohan Singh was elected as the Prime Minister twice between 2004 and 2014. He completed his Matriculation from the Punjab University in 1948 before jetting off to the United Kingdom for higher studies.
He earned a First Class honours degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge in 1957 and pursued a D. Phil in the same subject from Nuffield College at Oxford University in 1962. Two years later, he wrote a book on India’s inward-oriented trade policy – India’s Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth, published by Oxford’s Clarendon Press.
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Later, he came back to India and joined Punjab University as a faculty. He also spent some years, teaching at the prestigious Delhi School of Economics. During this period, he was associated with the UNCTAD Secretariat. In 1971, Manmohan was appointed as an Economic Advisor in the Commerce Ministry of the Government of India. A year later, he became the Chief Economic Advisor in the Ministry of Finance.
Manmohan Singh also held some other respectable positions, including Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Advisor of the Prime Minister, and Chairman of the University Grants Commission. He served as the Secretary General of the South Commission in Geneva from 1987 to 1990.
India’s economic scene witnessed a revolution after Manmohan Singh was named the Finance Minister in 1991. He remained in the position for five years and took a comprehensive approach to reform the economic policies. Manmohan Singh was India’s flag bearer in many global conferences. He was part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Cyprus and the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna in 1993.
Manmohan Singh was the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha for six years. In 2004, the Indian National Congress won the parliamentary elections and Manmohan Singh became the Prime Minister for the first time. He started his second term in office in May 2009.
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