Fri Dec 27 01:50:00 UTC 2024: **Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh Passes Away; Remarkable Career Detailed**
NEW DELHI – Dr. Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister of India and a transformative figure in the nation’s economic history, has passed away. His death has been announced, prompting widespread tributes.
Dr. Singh’s journey to the pinnacle of Indian politics was as unusual as his impact on the country’s finances. According to A.K. Bhattacharya’s book “India’s Finance Ministers: Stumbling into Reforms (1977 to 1998)” (Penguin Random House India), he was offered the post of Finance Minister under P.V. Narasimha Rao in the dead of night. So unexpected was the late-night phone call that, upon hearing the news, Dr. Singh went to his office the next morning, completely unaware that he was expected at Rashtrapati Bhavan for the swearing-in ceremony.
Prior to this pivotal moment, Dr. Singh had served as Secretary General of the South Commission in 1990 before returning to India. He was initially slated to join V.P. Singh’s government’s top economic policy team, even accepting the position of chairman of the Prime Minister’s economic advisory council, only for the V.P. Singh government to collapse. Subsequently, he served as economic advisor to the Chandra Shekhar government, and later as Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
The dramatic events leading to his appointment as Finance Minister are detailed in Bhattacharya’s account. With India’s economy in crisis, and after the initial choice for Finance Minister, I.G. Patel, declined the post, Dr. Singh’s name was put forward. The late-night phone call from P.C. Alexander, conveying P.V. Narasimha Rao’s offer, found Dr. Singh asleep after a late arrival from the Netherlands. His initial disbelief led him to go to his UGC office instead of the swearing-in ceremony. Only after a frantic search and phone calls confirming the appointment did Dr. Singh attend the ceremony, surprising many with his presence. While not immediately formally appointed in the ceremony itself, he swiftly commenced his duties at the North Block office. A subsequent official announcement confirmed his appointment as Finance Minister.
Dr. Singh’s legacy as a pivotal figure in shaping India’s economic reforms remains undeniable. The details surrounding his appointment highlight an extraordinary and unexpected turn of events that ultimately shaped the nation’s economic trajectory for decades to come.
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