Manmohan Singh dies: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the architect of India's economic reforms, died on Thursday (December 26). He was 92. Singh, who was prime minister for two terms in the Congress-led UPA government from 2004 to 2014, had been in poor health for the last few months. He is survived by his wife Gurcharan Singh and three daughters.
10 facts about former Manmohan Singh
- Manmohan Singh was the first Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to be re-elected after completing a full five-year term. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the second.
- Singh was the first Sikh and the first non-Hindu to become the Prime Minister of India.
- He was the fourth longest-serving Prime Minister after Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Narendra Modi.
- Singh was the architect and brainchild of the economic reforms in 1991 that saved India from the brink of bankruptcy.
- His visionary leadership introduced significant liberalisation measures, which included reducing trade barriers, encouraging foreign investments, and reforming the banking system.
- Singh was named the Finance Minister of the Year by Euromoney and Asiamoney in 1993.
- In 1962, when first PM Jawaharlal Nehru offered Manmohan Singh a position in the government, Singh declined the offer, citing his commitment to teaching at his college in Amritsar.
- Singh worked with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) under renowned economist Raul Prebisch from 1966 to 1969. Despite the prestigious opportunity, Singh chose to leave the UN when he received an offer to work as a lecturer at the Delhi School of Economics.
- Manmohan Singh had a habit of tuning into the BBC every morning. This routine played a crucial role during the 2004 tsunami crisis, as he was able to respond promptly and effectively, even before the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) was alerted to the disaster.
- Although Manmohan Singh can speak Hindi, he was unable to read the language. During his tenure as Prime Minister, his speeches were written in Urdu.
