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DEATH OF Dr. MANMOHAN SINGH
MANMOHAN Singh underwent multiple cardiac bypass surgeries, the last of which took place in January 2009. In May 2020, Singh was hospitalized at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. This occurred due to a negative reaction from his medication. In October 2021, Singh was hospitalized again at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. He experienced weakness and a fever.
On 26 December 2024, Singh was admitted to the emergency department. It was at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. He faced issues relating to heart disease and old age. He had collapsed earlier at his home in New Delhi. Singh died a few hours after his hospitalization at the age of 92.
After his death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Singh one of “India’s most distinguished leaders” and declared national mourning. President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar issued statements. Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi and Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah also praised Singh. Along with them, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda commended his leadership.
LIFE IN FINANCE
In 1991, India’s fiscal deficit was close to 8. 5 per cent of the gross domestic product. The balance of payments deficit was huge. The current account deficit was close to 3.5 per cent of India’s GDP. India’s foreign reserves were just US$1 billion. This was only enough to pay for 2 weeks of imports. In 2009, they were US$600 billion.
Singh explained to the PM and the party that India is facing an unprecedented crisis. However the rank and file of the party resisted deregulation. So P. Chidambaram and Singh explained to the party that the economy would collapse if it was not deregulated.To the dismay of the party, Rao allowed Singh to deregulate the Indian economy.
Subsequently, Singh had been one of the most influential architects of India’s socialist economy. He eliminated the permit raj. He reduced state control of the economy and import taxes. Rao and Singh implemented policies to open up the economy. They changed India’s socialist economy to a more capitalistic one. In the process, they dismantled the License Raj, a system that inhibited the prosperity of private businesses.
They removed many obstacles standing in the way of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). They also initiated the process of privatizing public sector companies. However, despite these reforms, Rao’s government was voted out in 1996. The non-performance of the government in other areas led to this outcome. In praise of Singh’s work that pushed India towards a market economy, long-time Cabinet minister P. Chidambaram has compared Singh’s role in India’s reforms to Deng Xiaoping‘s in China.
In 1993, Singh offered his resignation from the post of Finance Minister. A parliamentary investigation report criticised his ministry for not being able to foresee a US$1.8 billion 1992 securities scandal. Prime Minister Rao refused Singh’s resignation, instead promising to punish the individuals directly accused in the report.
In 2005, Prime Minister Singh and his government’s health ministry started the National Rural Health Mission (NHRM). They mobilised half a million community health workers. This rural health initiative was praised by the American economist Jeffrey Sachs. In 2006, his Government implemented the proposal to reserve 27% of seats. This was in the All India Institute of Medical Studies (AIIMS) and Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). They also reserved seats in the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other central institutions of higher education. This was for Other Backward Classes which led to 2006 Indian anti-reservation protests.
On 2 July 2009, Singh ministry introduced the Right to Education Act (RTE) act. Eight IITs were opened in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Orissa, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. The Singh government also continued the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan program. The program includes the introduction and improvement of mid-day meals. It also involves the opening of schools all over India, especially in rural areas, to fight illiteracy.
