Former Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh Dies at The Age of 92
Early Life of Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh was born to Gurumukh Singh Kohli and Amrit Kaur on 26th September 1932, in Gah, Punjab, British India. His birthplace Gah currently located in Pakistan. He belonged to a Sikh family. He lost his mother at a very young age. His grandmother Jamna Devi raised him, and he was very close to her. His early schooling was in Urdu Medium until the age of 10, after which he was enrolled in an upper-primary school in Peshawar. After the Partition of India, his family migrated to Haldwani, India. In 1948 they relocated to Amritsar. His elder brother Surjit Singh, was a significant figure in his early life. He played a vital role in the family’s transition from Pakistan to India after the partition in 1947. His younger sister Shinder Kaur, was part of the family’s life as they settled in Amritsar post-partition.
Education Qualifications of Manmohan Singh
Manmohan is the most educated Prime Minister of India till now. His education reflexed in his political career. He had an amazing power to solve any problem. Manmohan Singh’s early schooling took place in his Hometown, Gah where he attended a local school. After the partition in 1947, his family moved to India and settled in Amritsar. After completing his schooling, Manmohan Singh enrolled at Panjab university in Chandigarh for his undergrads. He got a Bachelor’s degree in Economics in 1952. Following his graduation, Singh moved to the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom for further studies. He completed his Master’s degree in Economics from Cambridge University in 1954. During his time at Cambridge, he was exposed to world-class economic though, which influenced his later contribution to Indian Economic Policy. After completing his master’s, Singh moved to the University of Oxford to pursue a D.Phil. in Economics He doctoral thesis was tittles “India’s Export Performance: Prospects and Problems,” and he completed his Ph.D. in 1962.
Net Worth and Total Assets of Manmohan Singh
According to Data his Net worth in 2013 was Rs. 10.73 Crore. Along with this he had two personal houses in Chandigarh valued at Rs. 7.27 crore in 2013, with significantly higher value in now. Rs. 3.46 Crore in his SBI account in 2013. And he had 150.80 grams of gold worth around Rs.11 lakh.
How Manmohan Singh Started his Political Career
In June 1991, India’s Prime Minister at the time, P.V. Narsimha Rao, chose Singh to be his Finance-Minister. Singh to a British Journalist, in 2005.
On the day (Rao) was formulating his cabinet, he sent his Principal Secretary to me saying, “The PM would like you to become the Minister of Finance”. I didn’t take it seriously. He eventually tracked me down the next morning, rather angry, and demanded that I get dressed up and come to Rashtrapati Bhavan for the swearing in. So that’s how I started in Politics.
In 2004, Singh’s Political career reached a new height when he was appointed the Prime Minister of India by the Indian National Congress. Despite not being elected to the position directly, his reputation as an economist made him a consensus choice. Under his leadership, India continued to experience robust economic growth, with significant progress in sectors such as IT, infrastructure, and services. His government also played a key role in the India-US nuclear deal in 2008, which marked a significant shift in India’s foreign Policy and improved its relationship with the United States.
Singh was re-elected as Prime Minister in 2009 after Congress Party won second consecutive term in office. During his second term, however, his government faced several challenges, including corruption scandals and rising inflation. Despite these challenges, Singh remained a figure of integrity and a symbol of economic progress. He stepped down in 2014 after the Congress lost the general elections to the BJP, led by Narender Modi.
Manmohan Singh’s Wife and Children
Manmohan Singh was married to Gurtej Kaur also known as Sonia Kaur. They got married in 1958. Gurtej Kaur was a schoolteacher by profession and played a supportive role throughout Singh’s Career. She preferred to stay out of the public eye and led a relatively private life, focusing on her family. Unfortunately, she passed away in 2018 after a long illness. Manmohan Singh has three children Daughters Upinder Singh, Dina Singh and his son Amrit Singh. His Daughter Upinder Singh is a historian and academic. She is professor at University of Delhi. His son Amrit Singh is the second child of Manmohan Singh, he is a lawyer and human rights advocate based in the United States. Dina Singh his Youngest daughter is a private individual.
Major Awards Won by Manmohan Singh
| Awards/Honor | Year |
|---|---|
| Padma Vibhushan | 2011 |
| Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence | 2004 |
| Honorary Doctorate | 2009 |
| Life-Time Achievement Award | 2009 |
| Global Economy Prize | 2009 |
| World Statesman Award | 2005 |
| Jwaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding | 2007 |
| UNESCO’s Mahatma Gandhi Medal | 2005 |
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