Manmohan Singh, India’s 13th Prime Minister, remains an enigma wrapped in contradictions.
India PM list: 13th Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, All information in PM Manmohan singh.
Manmohan Singh, who was born on September 26, 1932, is a notable figure in Indian politics, economics, academia, and bureaucracy. From 2004 to 2014, he was the esteemed 13th Prime Minister of India, making him one of the country’s longest-serving leaders, only surpassing Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. He was notably the first Sikh to be Prime Minister and was re-elected for a second term, a feat that had not been done since Nehru’s time. Singh is widely considered one of India’s most educated PM.
Singh’s family came from Gah, West Punjab (now in Pakistan), to India during the partition in 1947. He furthered his education, earning a PhD in economics from Oxford University. Before shifting to bureaucratic positions in India, he worked with the United Nations from 1966 to 1969. He was notable for his roles as Chief Economic Advisor (1972–1976), Governor of the Reserve Bank (1982–1985), and Chairman of the Planning Commission (1985–1987).
Singh was appointed as Finance Minister in 1991 by Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao, even though he was not politically aligned. During Singh’s tenure, significant economic reforms were implemented in India, which liberalized the country’s economy, earning him global recognition as a reformist economist. Despite these initiatives being successful, the Congress Party experienced difficulties in the 1996 general election.
During the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government (1998–2004), Singh remained a prominent figure in Indian politics. He was appointed Prime Minister in 2004 by Sonia Gandhi, chairperson of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance. National Rural Health Mission, Unique Identification Authority, Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, and Right to Information Act are among the significant legislative achievements during his tenure.
Nevertheless, during his second term as Prime Minister, he encountered difficulties, including accusations of corruption related to events like the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2G spectrum allocation case, and the allocation of coal blocks. India’s economy grew rapidly during his tenure, despite these controversies.
Singh decided not to contest the 2014 Indian general election after his term ended. He was a political representative for Assam from 1991 to 2019 and Rajasthan from 2019 to 2024.
Dr.Manmohan Singh’s childhood and Education.
Manmohan Singh, was born in Gah, Punjab, British India, on September 26, 1932, to a Sikh family. He was raised by his paternal grandmother after his mother died when he was a young child. He developed a strong bond with her. His early education was in Urdu, and even while he was prime minister, he frequently wrote his speeches in Urdu, although he occasionally shifted to write in Gurmukhi, his native Punjabi language.
He went to a Hindu College in Amritsar after India was divided. He then went to Punjab University in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, where he excelled in economics. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1952 and a master’s degree in 1954. He continued his education at the University of Cambridge, and in 1957, he completed his Economics Tripos at St. John’s College.
In a 2005 interview with British journalist Mark Tully, Singh said that Joan Robinson and Nicholas Kaldor were the people who helped him understand politics. Robinson’s pedagogy challenged him to consider unconventional concepts, especially with regard to the role of the state in promoting development and social equity. Singh’s views on capitalism and governance were further influenced by Kaldor’s pragmatic approach to Keynesian economics.
After returning to India, Singh was a faculty member at Punjab University before getting his Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Oxford in 1960, where he was affiliated with Nuffield College. IMD Little supervised his doctoral thesis, which focused on India’s export performance and policy implications. This laid the groundwork for his later publication, India’s Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth.
Singh returned to India after earning his Doctor of Philosophy. From 1957 to 1959, he was a senior lecturer in economics at Punjab University। He then became a reader in economics from 1959 to 1963 and then a professor of economics at the same institution from 1963 to 1965. he was a member of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) from 1966 to 1969. Singh was appointed as an advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Trade by Lalit Narayan Mishra due to his financial achievements.
Singh was a professor of international trade at the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, from 1969 to 1971.
Singh began as chief economic adviser in the Ministry of Finance in 1972 and rose to secretary of the Ministry of Finance by 1976. He worked for the Planning Commission from 1980 to 1982. In 1982, he became governor of the Reserve Bank of India, where he served until 1985. He then became deputy chairman of the Planning Commission (India) from 1985 to 1987. from 1987 to November 1990, he was secretary general of the South Commission, an independent economic policy committee with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
Returning to India in November 1990, Singh served as an economic advisor to the Prime Minister Chandra Shekar. He became the University Grants Commission chairman in March 1991.
PM Manmohan Singh, Family and personal life..
Dr. Manmohan Singh settled with Gursharan Kaur in 1958, and they had three children: Amrit Singh, Daman Singh, and Upinder Singh. Upinder Singh is an Ashoka University professor of history who has written six books, including “Ancient Delhi” (1999) and “A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India” (2008). Daman Singh is an author who graduated from St. Stephen’s College in Delhi and the Institute of Rural Management in Anand, Gujarat. He has written books like “The Last Frontier: People and Forests in Mizoram” and “Nine by Nine” Amrit Singh, on the other hand, dedicates herself to the Pursuit of Justice.
Along with the family’s accomplishments, Ashok Pattnaik, who was a member of the Indian Police Service’s 1983 batch and son-in-law of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was appointed CEO of the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) in 2016, strengthening the family’s legacy in public service and leadership.
Singh has accomplished a lot, but he has suffered from health issues. He has undergone several cardiac bypass surgeries, the most recent of which was performed in January 2009.
Political Career: Manmohan Singh to End 33 years stint in RS On Apr 3.
Dr. Manmohan Singh was appointed as finance minister by then India’s prime minister P. V. Narasimha Rao in June 1991. In 2005, Singh told a British journalist, Mark Tully, “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. didn’t consider it serious. In the end, he tracked me down the following morning, quite angry, and asked me to dress up and go to Rashtrapati Bhavan for the swearing in. That’s how I got into politics.
Manmohan Singh Minister of Finance:
India faced a major economic crisis in 1991. The fiscal deficit was about 8.5% of gross domestic product (GDP), with a significant balance of payments deficit and a current account deficit of about 3.5% of GDP. In contrast to existing reserves of over US$600 billion, India’s foreign reserves were remarkably low, at only US$1 billion, enough to cover two weeks of imports.
The Indian government recognized the gravity of the situation and approached the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for help. Nevertheless, this aid came with strict requirements aimed at restructuring Indian economic policies. Under the direction of the International Monetary Fund the restrictive license raj system was dismantled, marking a departure from India’s former state controlled economy.
Leaders like Chidambaram and Manmohan Singh convinced the government of the immediate need for deregulation in order to prevent an economic collapse, even though they faced opposition within the ruling party. Manmohan Singh started the deregulation campaign after Prime Minister Rao finally agreed.
Manmohan Singh once advocated for India’s socialist economic model, and he led the campaign to remove bureaucratic obstacles, reduce state intervention, and raise import tariffs. Together with Rao, they pushed for a more capitalist economy by breaking down obstacles that prevented private companies from growing. Initiatives were put in place to encourage FDI and accelerate the privatization of public sector companies. Nevertheless, despite these reforms, Rao’s administration lost elections in 1996, mostly because of problems in other governance domains.
Singh was praised for his contribution to guiding India toward a market-oriented economy, and former Cabinet minister P. Chidambaram compared his influence to that of Deng Xiaoping’s reforms in China.
Manmohan Singh resigned as Finance Minister in 1993 after he was criticized by a parliamentary investigation about a securities scandal worth US$1.8 billion। Nonetheless, Prime Minister Rao opted to pursue accountability from those directly involved in the scandal, rather than Singh’s resignation.
Manmohan Singh has been elected to the Rajya Sabha multiple times in 1991, 1995, 2001, 2007, and 2013. He was the Rajya Sabha Opposition Leader from 1998 to 2004। Singh won a Lok Sabha seat from South Delhi in 1999, but won not.
Indian Prime Minister list: Dr. Manmohan Singh First Term: 2004–2009
The Indian National Congress ended the current National Democratic Alliance (NDA) tenure after the 2004 general elections by becoming the political party with the largest number of seats in the Lok Sabha. It established United Progressive Alliance (UPA) with partners and claimed to form a government। Chairperson Sonia Gandhi declared Manmohan Singh, a technocrat, as the UPA prime minister candidate in a surprising move. The BBC reported that Singh “enjoyed massive popular support, not least because he was seen by many as a clean politician untouched by the taint of corruption that has run through many Indian administrations,” even though he had never won a Lok Sabha seat. He took the oath as India’s Prime Minister on 22 May 2004.
Manmohan Singh New Economic Policy of India:
While serving as Finance Minister, Manmohan Singh dismantled the stifling Licence Raj in 1991. Licence Raj was a longstanding obstacle to India’s economic advancement, known for its slow growth and entrenched corruption. Manmohan Singh started a wave of progress that pushed India forward by adopting economic liberalization. His policies were highly appreciated during his tenure as Prime Minister, and they further accelerated economic growth. Manmohan Singh, along with Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, led a remarkable period characterized by strong 8–9% economic growth rates. India reached its peak in 2007 when it grew at a remarkable 9% GDP growth rate and secured its place as the world’s second-fastest growing major economy.
Initiatives such as the National Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) of 2005 were put into place under Manmohan Singh’s leadership in order to guarantee citizens job security. Infrastructure projects like the Golden Quadrilateral and highway modernization, which were initially initiated by the Vajpayee government, were continued under his administration. Manmohan Singh advocated pro-industry and pro-farmer policies while prioritizing reforms in the public sector, banking, and finance sectors. Notably, the 2005 introduction of the value-added tax (VAT) improved tax procedures by replacing the old sales tax system.
However, Manmohan Singh’s tenure also faced challenges. One of them was the global inflation problem, which hit India in 2007 and early 2008 and required careful economic management. Because of Singh’s bold reforms and vision for inclusive growth, Manmohan Singh’s legacy is still strongly linked to India’s modern economic transformation, despite these obstacles.
Manmohan Singh. Healthcare and medical education reforms in India..
More than 500,000 community health workers were deployed under Prime Minister Singh’s administration in 2005 when the National Rural Health Mission (NHRM) was established to lead a transformative initiative in rural healthcare. This endeavor was praised by renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs. But in 2006, the government decided to reserve 27% of seats in prestigious schools like AIIMS, IITs, and IIMs for other backward classes, which led to mass protests against reservation laws.
Singh’s government passed the landmark Right to Education (RTE) Act on July 2, 2009, which was a significant step in the direction of universal education. In addition, it has established eight new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in eight different states: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Orissa, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh. ameliorated access to higher education. Additionally, the administration maintained Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, which prioritized educational accessibility across the country. To combat illiteracy effectively, this initiative included infrastructure improvements like mid-day meals and the establishment of schools, especially in rural areas.
India s Foreign Policy Under The Prime Minister Of Dr. Manmohan Singh.
Manmohan Singh continued pragmatic foreign policy started by PV Narasimha Rao and continued by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He continued Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s peace initiatives with Pakistan, which were marked by high-level visits between the two countries. Singh also tried to resolve the border conflict with China, which was marked by mutual visits between him and Chinese leaders. The 2006 reopening of the Nathula Pass was a major development in Sino-Indian relations.
India’s relationship with Afghanistan improved under Singh’s leadership, and it became the region’s biggest donor. Singh extended aid to Afghanistan for various development projects during President Hamid Karzai’s visit in 2008. Under Singh’s leadership, India was a big helper to Afghanistan.
Manmohan Singh’s administration started negotiations over the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement in order to strengthen ties with the US. The 2008 agreement gave India access to American nuclear technology while allowing the IAEA to inspect Indian nuclear facilities. In 2009, Singh’s visit to the White House strengthened Indo-US relations, talking about trade and nuclear cooperation.
During Manmohan Singh’s tenure, relations with Japan, the European Union, and other nations like the United Kingdom, France, and Germany improved. India’s foreign policy agenda was focused on Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline and on maintaining ties with Iran.
Manmohan Singh’s government has had a lot of interactions with developing countries. This was evident by the India–Africa Summit in 2006 and the IBSA Dialogue Forum. Another goal was to strengthen ties with Israel, as since 2003, there have been significant investments and defense cooperation. India’s relations with Russia remained strong despite occasional diplomatic missteps. These relations were marked by agreements to strengthen defense, nuclear energy, and space cooperation.
Manmohan Singh Second term: 2009–2014.
India held its 15th Lok Sabha elections in five stages from April 16, 2009 to May 13, 2009, and May 16, 2009 was the day the results were announced. Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh showed strong results, which helped the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) win. After completing his full five-year term, Singh, the incumbent Prime Minister, was able to achieve a historic re-election. Out of 543 members of the House, the Congress and its allies formed a comfortable majority coalition with 322 votes from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
Manmohan Singh was sworn in for his second term as Prime Minister at Rashtrapati Bhavan on May 22, 2009. With 714 million eligible voters, this election was the world’s largest democratic exercise before the 2014 and 2019 elections.
A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India in 2012 showed that during Manmohan Singh’s tenure as the coal minister, there were short-scale losses of Rs 1.85 trillion (from 2005 to 2009) as a result of the allocation of coal blocks to certain private companies without proper bidding process.
Manmohan Singh’s tenure ended on May 17, 2014, amid controversies, including 2G case allegations, after the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance won the 2014 general elections. He resigned as Prime Minister and decided not to contest for the 16th Lok Sabha. When Narendra Modi assumed office on May 25, 2014, Manmohan Singh remained as the acting Prime Minister. He was present at Modi’s swearing-in ceremony, along with other notable political figures.
Manmohan Singh moved to 3 Motilal Nehru Road, New Delhi after leaving politics. Manmohan Singh did not accept the position despite initial plans to join Panjab University as the Jawaharlal Nehru Chair. In April 2024, Sonia Gandhi succeeded him from the Rajya Sabha.
FAQ’s –Questions Ans. GK PM Modi:
Here are some quiz questions along with their answers based on the article:
- Question: Which Prime Minister of India served from 2004 to 2014 and is widely regarded as one of the country’s most educated leaders?
- Answer: Manmohan Singh
- Question: Where was Manmohan Singh’s family originally from before they moved to India during the partition in 1947?
- Answer: Gah, West Punjab (now in Pakistan)
- Question: Which prestigious university did Manmohan Singh earn his PhD in economics from?
- Answer: Oxford University
- Question: In which year was Manmohan Singh appointed as the Finance Minister of India by Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao?
- Answer: 1991
- Question: Which political party did Manmohan Singh belong to during his tenure as Prime Minister?
- Answer: Indian National Congress
- Question: Name one of the significant legislative achievements during Manmohan Singh’s tenure as Prime Minister.
- Answer: National Rural Health Mission, Unique Identification Authority, Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Right to Information Act
- Question: Which controversial events during Manmohan Singh’s second term as Prime Minister led to accusations of corruption?
- Answer: 2010 Commonwealth Games, 2G spectrum allocation case, allocation of coal blocks
- Question: In which year did Manmohan Singh decide not to contest the Indian general election?
- Answer: 2014
- Question: Which Indian states did Manmohan Singh represent as a political representative during his career?
- Answer: Assam (1991–2019) and Rajasthan (2019–2024)
- Question: Where did Manmohan Singh receive his early education?
- Answer: In Urdu
- Question: At which university did Manmohan Singh excel in economics and earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees?
- Answer: Punjab University in Hoshiarpur, Punjab
- Question: Who were the individuals that Manmohan Singh mentioned as influential in helping him understand politics during an interview with British journalist Mark Tully?
- Answer: Joan Robinson and Nicholas Kaldor
- Question: Which college at the University of Cambridge did Manmohan Singh attend?
- Answer: St. John’s College
- Question: Who supervised Manmohan Singh’s doctoral thesis at the University of Oxford?
- Answer: I.M.D. Little
- Question: Which international organization was Manmohan Singh a member of from 1966 to 1969?
- Answer: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
- Question: In which year did Manmohan Singh become the governor of the Reserve Bank of India?
- Answer: 1982
- Question: What position did Manmohan Singh hold in the Planning Commission from 1985 to 1987?
- Answer: Deputy Chairman
- Question: Who did Manmohan Singh serve as an economic advisor to in November 1990?
- Answer: Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar
- Question: How many children does Dr. Manmohan Singh have, and what are their names?
- Answer: He has three children: Amrit Singh, Daman Singh, and Upinder Singh.
- Question: What is the profession of Dr. Manmohan Singh’s daughter, Upinder Singh?
- Answer: She is a professor of history at Ashoka University and an author.
- Question: Who is Daman Singh, and what is his profession?
- Answer: Daman Singh is an author who graduated from St. Stephen’s College in Delhi and the Institute of Rural Management in Anand, Gujarat.
- Question: What position was Ashok Pattnaik, Dr. Manmohan Singh’s son-in-law, appointed to in 2016?
- Answer: He was appointed CEO of the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID).
- Question: When was Dr. Manmohan Singh appointed as the Finance Minister by Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao?
- Answer: He was appointed in June 1991.
- Question: What was the state of India’s foreign reserves when Dr. Manmohan Singh became Finance Minister in 1991?
- Answer: India’s foreign reserves were remarkably low, at only US$1 billion, enough to cover two weeks of imports.
- Question: Who did Dr. Manmohan Singh collaborate with to push for economic deregulation in the early 1990s?
- Answer: He collaborated with leaders like P. Chidambaram and Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao.
- Question: What comparison was made regarding Dr. Manmohan Singh’s influence on India’s economic reforms?
- Answer: Former Cabinet minister P. Chidambaram compared his influence to that of Deng Xiaoping’s reforms in China.
- Question: When did Dr. Manmohan Singh resign as Finance Minister, and why?
- Answer: He resigned in 1993 after being criticized by a parliamentary investigation about a securities scandal worth US$1.8 billion. However, Prime Minister Rao opted to pursue accountability from those directly involved in the scandal rather than accepting Singh’s resignation.
- Question: When did Dr. Manmohan Singh become Prime Minister of India?
- Answer: He took the oath as India’s Prime Minister on May 22, 2004.
- Question: What major economic reform did Dr. Manmohan Singh undertake while serving as Finance Minister in 1991?
- Answer: He dismantled the stifling Licence Raj, which was known for its slow growth and entrenched corruption.
- Question: Which infrastructure projects initiated by the Vajpayee government were continued under Dr. Manmohan Singh’s administration?
- Answer: Projects like the Golden Quadrilateral and highway modernization were continued.
- Question: What significant healthcare initiative was launched under Dr. Manmohan Singh’s administration in 2005?
- Answer: The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), which deployed over 500,000 community health workers.
- Question: When was the Right to Education (RTE) Act passed under Dr. Manmohan Singh’s government?
- Answer: The RTE Act was passed on July 2, 2009.
- Question: What was the major development in Sino-Indian relations during Dr. Manmohan Singh’s tenure?
- Answer: The reopening of the Nathula Pass in 2006 marked a significant development in Sino-Indian relations.
- Question: What was the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement negotiated during Dr. Manmohan Singh’s tenure?
- Answer: The agreement gave India access to American nuclear technology while allowing the IAEA to inspect Indian nuclear facilities.
- Question: Which major summit took place in 2006 under Dr. Manmohan Singh’s administration, focusing on India’s interactions with developing countries?
- Answer: The India–Africa Summit took place in 2006.
- Question: Despite occasional diplomatic missteps, which country maintained strong relations with India during Dr. Manmohan Singh’s tenure?
- Answer: Russia maintained strong relations with India, marked by agreements to strengthen defense, nuclear energy, and space cooperation.
- Question: When were the 15th Lok Sabha elections held in India?
- Answer: The elections were held in five stages from April 16, 2009, to May 13, 2009, with results announced on May 16, 2009.
- Question: How many eligible voters participated in the 15th Lok Sabha elections, making it one of the world’s largest democratic exercises at that time?
- Answer: 714 million eligible voters participated in the elections.
- Question: How many members of the House were there in the 15th Lok Sabha, and which coalition formed a comfortable majority?
- Answer: There were 543 members, and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) formed a comfortable majority coalition with 322 votes from allies such as the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)), and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
- Question: What significant report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India in 2012 highlighted losses during Manmohan Singh’s tenure as coal minister?
- Answer: The report showed losses of Rs 1.85 trillion due to the allocation of coal blocks to certain private companies without a proper bidding process.
- Question: When did Manmohan Singh’s tenure as Prime Minister end?
- Answer: His tenure ended on May 17, 2014, after the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance won the 2014 general elections.
- Question: What was Manmohan Singh’s role after Narendra Modi assumed office as Prime Minister on May 25, 2014?
- Answer: Manmohan Singh remained as the acting Prime Minister and attended Modi’s swearing-in ceremony along with other political figures.
- Question: Where did Manmohan Singh move to after leaving politics?
- Answer: He moved to 3 Motilal Nehru Road, New Delhi.
- Question: Which position did Manmohan Singh decide not to accept despite initial plans?
- Answer: He decided not to accept the position of joining Panjab University as the Jawaharlal Nehru Chair.
- Question: Who succeeded Manmohan Singh in the Rajya Sabha in April 2024?
- Answer: Sonia Gandhi succeeded him in the Rajya Sabha.
