New Delhi, 27 December: The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday passed a condolence resolution in the memory of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.
The Cabinet paid tribute to Dr. Manmohan Singh by observing two minutes of silence. According to the condolence resolution placed in the Cabinet meeting, state mourning has been declared in the country for seven days till 01.01.2025. During this mourning period, the national flag will fly at half-mast throughout India. The national flag will also fly at half-mast in all Indian Missions/High Commissions abroad for seven days.
Dr. Manmohan Singh will be cremated with state honors. On the day of the funeral with state honors, a half-day holiday will be declared in all central government offices and CPSUs. Along with this, a resolution was also placed in the meeting which said “The Cabinet expresses deep sorrow over the sad demise of former Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh on December 26, 2024 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
Born on September 26, 1932 in Gah village, West Punjab, Punjab province of undivided India, Dr Singh had an illustrious academic career. He obtained a Masters degree in Economics from Punjab University in 1954 and Tripos in Economics with First Class Honours from Cambridge University in 1957. He was awarded D. Phil by Oxford University in 1962.
Dr Singh began his career as Senior Lecturer at Punjab University, Chandigarh and became Professor of Economics at the same University. In 1969 he became Professor of International Trade at Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. Dr Manmohan Singh became Economic Adviser in the then Ministry of Foreign Trade in 1971. He was Chief Economic Adviser, Ministry of Finance (1972-76), Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (November 1976 to April 1980), Member Secretary, Planning Commission (April 1980 to September 1982) and Governor, Reserve Bank of India (September 1982 to January 1985).
Among the many awards and honours that Dr Singh received in his career, the most prominent are Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award (1987), Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award of the Indian Science Congress (1995), Euromoney Prize for Finance Minister of the Year (1993), Adam Smith Prize of Cambridge University (1956).
Dr Manmohan Singh was the Finance Minister of India from 1991 to 1996. His role in bringing in a comprehensive policy of economic reforms is well known. Dr Singh became the Prime Minister of India on 22 May 2004 and remained Prime Minister till May 2009. He became Prime Minister for a second term from May 2009 to 2014.
The resolution said that Manmohan Singh has left his mark on our national life. With his demise, the nation has lost an eminent statesman, eminent economist and a distinguished leader. The Cabinet expresses its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family on behalf of the Government and the entire nation.
