Prime Minister Narendra Modi today greeted his predecessor Manmohan Singh on his 83rd birthday, wishing him a long and healthy life.
He also spoke to Singh and extended birthday greetings to him.
"Warm birthday wishes to Dr. Manmohan Singh ji. May God bless him with a long and healthy life," he said in a tweet.
"PM @narendramodi spoke to Dr. Manmohan Singh ji and extended birthday greetings to him," the PMO said in a tweet.
Manmohan Singh served as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014. Born in the small town of Gah in Pakistan, Singh’s family migrated to India during partition in 1947.
Singh obtained his doctorate in economics from Oxford after which he started working for the United Nations during 1966–69. He later on, began his bureaucratic career when Lalit Narayan Mishra hired him as an advisor in the Ministry of Foreign Trade.
Gaining reputation, Singh held several key posts in Government of India during 70s and 80s. He worked as the Chief Economic Advisor between 1972–76. In 1982, he was appointed as the Governor of Reserve Bank of India, a post which he held till 1985, after which he was appointed as the Planning Commission head till 1987.
He also served the country as the finance minister between 1991-1992.
The first Sikh in office, Singh was also the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to be re-elected after completing a full five-year term.
(With agency input)
