Manmohan Singh was born on 26th September 1932, he is an Indian economist, academic, and politician who served as the 13th Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014. Currently, he is a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, representing the state of Rajasthan. A member of the Indian National Congress, Singh was the first Sikh Prime minister of India
2. Personal background
Manmohan Singh was born to Gurmukh Singh and Amrit Kaur on 26
September 1932,in Gah, Punjab (now in Chakwal District, Pakistan), British
India, into a Sikh family.
He lost his mother when he was very young, and he was raised by his paternal
grandmother, to whom he was very close.
He was a hard working student who studied by candlelight, as his village did
not have electricity.
After the Partition of India, he migrated to Amritsar, India, where he studied
at Hindu College.
Married in the year 1958 to Smt. GursharanKaur.
Dr. singh is having 3 daughters
3. Academic Record
1962: D. Phil., Nuffield College, University of Oxford. Topic: India's Export Trends
and Prospects for Self Sustained Growth. [Published by Clarendon Press, Oxford,
1964]
1957 :Economic Tripos [First Class honours], University of Cambridge
1954: M.A. Economics, Panjab University - First Class withfirst position in the
University.
1952: B.A. Economics (Hons.), Panjab University - Second Class with first position
in the University
1950: Intermediate, Panjab University - First Class with firstposition in the
University.
1948: Matriculation, Panjab University - First class
4. Work Experience And Position
Held
1957 - 1965 : Worked as Professor/ Reader.
1966-1969: UNCTAD, United Nations Secretariat, New York Chief,
Financing for Trade Section
1966: Economic Affairs Officer. 1971-1972: Economic Adviser,
Ministry of Foreign Trade, India
1972-1976: Chief Economic Adviser. Ministry
Nov.1976 - April 1980: Secretary, Ministry of Finance Dept. of
Economic Affairs
Sept 1982 - Jan 1985: Governor, Reserve Bank of India
August 1987 - Nov 1990: and Commissioner,South Commission
Secretary General
5. Dec 1990- March 1991: Advisor to Prime Ministerof India on
Economic Affairs
March 1991-June 1991: Chairman, UniversityGrants Commission.
September, 1991: Elected Member of Rajya Sabha
June, 1995: Re elected member of Rajya Sabha for a term of 6 years.
7. Worked as Finance Minister
India's fiscal deficit was close to 8.5 % of the GDP, the balance of payments deficit was huge
and the current account deficit was close to 3.5 percent of India's GDP. India's foreign reserves
barely amounted to US$1 billion, enough to pay for a few weeks of imports, in comparison to
US$283 billion today.
Liberalisation of Foreign Policy. The limit of foreign equity was raised to 100% in many
activities, i.e., NRI and foreign investors were permitted to invest in Indian companies.
New economic policy.
Dismantled Licence Raj.
Slowly opened the Indian economy to foreign investment and business competition.
Rao and Singh thus implemented policies to openup the economy and change India's socialist
economy to a more capitalistic one, in the process dismantling the Licence Raj, a system that
inhibited the prosperity of private businesses. They removed many obstacles standing in the
way of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and initiated the process of the privatisation of public
sector companies
8. In 1993, Singh offered his resignation from the post of Finance Minister after a parliamentary
investigation report criticised his ministry for not being able to anticipate a US$1.8 billion securities
scandal.
August 1, 1996 - Dec 4, 1997: Chairman Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce, Rajya Sabha
June, 2001: Re-elected as member of Rajya Sabha for a term of six years
March 21, 1998 - May 22,2004: Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha (Council of States) Parliament of India
9.
10. Worked as PM
Economic policy
Liberalised the Indian economy, allowing it to speed up development.
In 2007, India achieved its highest GDP growth rate of 9% and became the
second fastest growing major economy in the world.
Continued the Golden Quadrilateral and the highway modernisation
program that was initiated by Vajpayee's government.
Working on reforming the banking and financial sectors, as well as public
sector companies.
In 2005, Singh's government introduced the value added tax, replacing
sales tax.
In 2007 and early 2008, the global problem of inflation impacted India.
11. Healthcare and education
In 2005, National Rural Health Mission was started.
Announced that eight more IIT will be opened.
Continued the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programme, begun by his predecessor,
Mr. Vajpayee.
The programme has included the introduction and improvement of mid-day
meals and the opening of schools all over India, especially in rural areas, to
fight illiteracy.
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).
The Right to Information Act were passed by the Parliament in 2005 during
his tenure
12. Security, Foreign and Home Affairs
Manmohan Singh administration initiated a massive reconstruction effort in
Kashmir to stabilise the region but after some period of success, infiltration
and terrorism in Kashmir has increased since 2009
Singh's government has been criticised by opposition parties for revoking
POTA and for the many bomb blasts in various cities, like in Mumbai,
Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Jaipur, etc.
After the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, a National Investigation Agency
(NIA) was set up to face these challenges.
The most controversial Indo-US Civilian Nuclear Deal, which was strongly
opposed by other parties, was signed under his governance.
14. 2014 Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers by govt of Japan
1996 Honorary Professor, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, Delhi
1995 Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award of the Indian Science CongressAssociation
for 1994-951994 Asiamoney Award, Finance Minister of the Year
1994 Elected Honorary Fellow, Nuffield College, University of Oxford, Oxford,U.K.
1957 Elected Wrenbury Scholar, University of Cambridge, U.K. 1955 Distinguished
Performance, St. John's College, Cambridge, U.K. Awarded1993 Euromoney Award,
Finance Minister of the year
1993 Asiamoney Award, Finance Minister of the Year
1987 Padma Vibhushan Award by the President of India
1986 National Fellow, National Institute of Education, N.C.E.R.T.
1982 Elected Honorary Fellow, St. John's College, Cambridge.
1982 Elected Honorary Fellow, Indian Institute of BankersWright's Prize
1956 Awarded Adam Smith Prize, University of Cambridge, U.K.
1954 Uttar Chand Kapur Medal, Panjab University, for standing first in M.A. (Economics),
Panjab University, Chandigarh
1952 University Medal for standing First in B.A. Hon. (Economics), Panjab University,
Chandigarh.