Tributes continue to be paid to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India] December 27: Manmohan Singh, the former prime minister, passed away in New Delhi on Thursday at the age of 92 from age-related diseases, and tributes to him kept coming in. One of India's tallest leaders and best economists has passed away, according to Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla Group. His most significant accomplishment was the historic 91 reforms, which changed the math of possibilities for India and Indians and sparked a multi-decadal economic boom.

According to Birla, Singh's intelligence, discernment, and humility served as models for many years in public life and left a lasting impression on the conscience of the country. "His remarkable ascent from modest origins to the position of prime minister embodies India's limitless potential and serves as motivation for future generations of Indians."

Singh was instrumental in advancing US-India relations, modernising the partnership, and setting both countries on a path of strategic, economic, and technological convergence, according to former Ambassador Atul Keshap, head of the United States-India Business Council. "Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was rightfully considered an architect of the modern bilateral relationship through his persistent leadership in reaching the transformative agreement on civilian nuclear energy cooperation, and many Americans will remember him with honour and fondness for his gentle and clear leadership," Keshap said.

As finance minister in the 1990s, Singh introduced the world to India. As prime minister for two terms from 2004 to 2014, he oversaw the US nuclear accord and several important pieces of legislation. He resolutely signed the 2008 Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement, strengthening ties between the two nations. His handling of the global financial crisis in 2008 garnered him international acclaim.

In his homage, former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi stated: "As the gentle chapter-turner crosses over, decency shrivels and civility withers in Indian politics."

India has lost a great leader, a respected economist, and a terrific human person, according to P K Mishra, the prime minister's senior secretary. He claimed to have recollections of Singh from his time as a Delhi School of Economics professor. "I was in my first year of an MA at the time. Seeing him among the strong professors in that era was reassuring for a student like me having come from Sambalpur district in Western Odisha. Those were the days when very eminent professors such as Amartya Sen, Mrinal Datta Chaudhuri, A M Khusro, K N Raj, Sukhamoy Chakraborty, Dharma Kumar and others were teaching there.”

He claimed Singh had a great capacity to teach hard issues in international trade in a way any student could grasp, making studying easier. “He was extremely unassuming and low profile. Later, during his time as Prime Minister, I had the honour of working with him as Secretary to [the] Government of India in the Ministry of Agriculture and Secretary to the National Disaster Management Authority. He remarked, "I always noticed the same simplicity, sincerity, and humility in his mannerisms whenever I met him.

As prime minister, Singh, who was renowned around the world for his scholastic prowess, increased rural incomes by implementing social safety programs. He was born on September 26, 1932, in the present-day Punjab region of Pakistan. He received degrees in economics from the University of Cambridge and Punjab University. At Oxford, he received a D Phil.

Singh was appointed the ministry of commerce's economic adviser in 1971. In 1972, he was named the Union finance ministry's main economic adviser. Singh was the 15th governor of the RBI from 1982 to 1985. Singh was named finance minister by Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao in 1991.