I am deeply saddened by the demise of Dr Manmohan Singh, the former Prime Minister of India, whose
contribution to laying the foundations of Modern India is unparalleled.
The decade starting mid-1980s is often regarded as the most tumultuous period in Independent India’s history
when the country was engulfed with several challenges across all fronts – domestic, economic and geo-political.
It is amidst such challenging environment that an economist turned politician, Dr Manmohan Singh was at the
helm of affairs of the Reserve Bank of India, the Planning Commission and later, assumed charge as the Finance
Minister in PM Rao’s cabinet. The Budget, the New Industrial Policy and Foreign Trade Policy that Dr Singh
announced in 1991 are pathbreaking reforms in India’s economic history, that heralded the country’s
transformation from a command and control based to a free-market economy and set course for India and Indian
companies to participate in the globalization era.
While the 1991 economic reforms were his defining moment, Dr Singh’s successive terms as the Prime Minister
of India will be remembered for the historic US-India Nuclear deal, setting-up the UIDAI and subsequent launch
of AADHAR, the MNREGA scheme promoting rural infrastructure creation among others. With a distinct imprint
of an outstanding economist, these initiatives had wide standing impact in attracting foreign investment,
strengthening international trade and commerce and promoting inclusive economic growth.
As a representative of Indian Industry, I was fortunate to have had multiple opportunities to meet and interact
with Dr Manmohan Singh including as part of the delegations accompanying him to United States and Japan. A
man of remarkable integrity, Dr Singh was an attentive listener who spoke gently with profound impact.
The world will remember Dr Manmohan Singh as an outstanding economist, an astute policy maker and a global
statesman. He will be deeply missed, and his contributions will continue to inspire us for generations to come.
May his soul rest in peace.