Famous Personalities : Manmohan Singh

Born On: 26th September, 1932
Born In: Gah in Punjab of British India (now in Pakistan)
Career: Politician and current Prime Minister of India

Manmohan Singh, the 14th Prime Minister of India, is a great thinker, scholar and a talented economist. Before entering delving into a career in politics, he worked under several prestigious sectors of the Government and received a number of honors for his brilliant work. In his later days, he changed from a bureaucrat to a politician. It is under his governance that India has experienced radical changes in its economic inflation. Owing to his remarkable contributions, he is called the key architect of the Indian financial renewal. This qualified leader is also admired for his humility, morality and great ethnical values. Manmohan Singh's talents and good leadership skills were acknowledged by the people of India and hence, he was re-elected as the Prime Minister for the second term. The praise and reverence that he has achieved is not only limited to India but it is also worldwide.

Early Life

Manmohan Singh was born on September 26th 1932 in Gah (Punjab), which is the present day Pakistani province. He was born into a Sikh family to Gurmukh Singh and Amrit Kaur. Since he lost his mother at a very early age, Manmohan was brought up by his paternal grandmother. From his childhood days, he was interested in academics and frequently topped his class too.

After partition of India, his family migrated to Amritsar, where he joined Hindu College. Manmohan Singh continued his graduation in Economics from the Punjab University in Chandigarh. Later, he went to Cambridge and Oxford University for higher education. After completing his studies, he returned to India and joined as a lecturer at the Punjab University and the Delhi School of Economics.

It was in 1958 that he married Gurusharan Kaur who gave him three daughters, Upinder, Daman and Amrit.

In 1971, he joined the Indian Civil Service and worked as an economic advisor in the Commerce Ministry. Later, he served as a top grade officer in various departments of the Indian Government.

Career

In 1991, when P.V. Narasimha Rao became the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh was elected as the Finance Minister. At this time, India was facing a serious economic crisis. Dr. Manmohan Singh brought out economic reforms that aimed at enhancing the productivity and liberalization of the economy.

One of the first measures that he took was to cancel the 'License Raj', a plan that forced businesses to get Governmental approval for any changes. Hence, more power was given to private organizations that led to the privatization of public companies too.

At the end of this tenure, Manmohan was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2001 and 2007. When India was ruled by the BJP government, from 1998 to 2004, he was the opposition leader in the Rajya Sabha.

As Prime Minister

During the 2004 general elections, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, declared Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minster of India. Regardless of the fact of that he didn't win the Lok Sabha seats, he became popular among public for his clean and uncorrupted hand in politics. In May 22nd 2004, he took the oath.

Being a noted economist, he continued to guide the Indian economy. Along with his Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, Manmohan worked towards the growth of the market and economy. In 2007, India accomplished the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 9% and became the second largest growing economy in the world.

Under his leadership, the National Rural Health Mission was started for the welfare of rural residents. This program received numerous accolades from people around the world. During his period, the educational showed a marked improvement. The Government also worked effectively to make higher education available to backward castes and communities. However, some parties opposed the Reservation Bill and demanded justice for merit students.

The Manmohan Singh Government established several laws to fight against terrorism. After the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) was set up to face these challenges. In 2009, to facilitate e-governance and increase national security, Unique Identification Authority of India was established to provide a Multipurpose National Identity Card.

Under his governance, a strong relationship with different countries was and is being maintained. The effective 'Pragmatic Foreign Policy' started by P.V. Narasimha Rao was successfully utilized in these projects. Efforts were made by Manmohan Singh to end the border dispute with China and reduce terror attacks in Kashmir. The most controversial Indo-US Civilian Nuclear Deal, which was strongly opposed by other parties, was signed under his governance.

The results of the 15th Lok Sabha elections were positive for the UPA and Manmohan Singh, as he was re-elected to the post of Prime Minister of India on 22nd May 2009. Since the times of Jawaharlal Nehru, Manmohan Singh is the only other Prime Minister to get re-elected after completing a five year term.

Awards And Accolades

In 1982, Manmohan Singh was given the Honorary Fellow of St. John's College in Cambridge. 5 years later, he was honoured with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan Award by the Indian Government. In 1994, he was elected as a Distinguished Fellow of the London School of Economics.

Dr. Manmohan Singh received a fellowship from the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences in New Delhi, in 1999. In 2000, he was conferred with Annasaheb Chirmule Award by Annasaheb Chirmule Trust. Two years later, he received the Parliamentarian Award by the Indian Parliamentary Group.

In 2010, he was honored with World Statesman Award by Appeal of Conscience Foundation.

Timeline

1932: Manmohan Singh was born in Gah in Punjab.
1958: He got married to Gurusharan Kaur.
1982: He was appointed as the Governor of Reserve Bank of India and bestowed with the Honorary Fellow of St. John's College in Cambridge.
1985: Became the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India.
1971: Worked as an economic advisor to the Indian Civil Services.
1982: Given the Honorary Fellow of St. John's College in Cambridge.
1991: Manmohan Singh was appointed as the Finance Minister in the P.V. Narasimha Rao Government.
1994: He was elected as Distinguished Fellow of the London School of Economics.
1998: He was appointed as the opposition leader in the Rajya Sabha.
1999: National Academy of Agricultural Sciences in New Delhi honored him with a fellowship.
2000: The Annasaheb Chirmule Award by Annasaheb Chirmule Trust was given to him.
2004: He was elected as the Prime Minister of India.
2008: Manmohan Singh established the National Investigation Agency to fight terrorism.
2009: Re-elected as Prime Minister of India and created the Unique Identification Authority of India to increase national security.
2010: The World Statesman Award by Appeal of Conscience Foundation was conferred upon him.