Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, credited with transforming his country into a global powerhouse, has died at the age of 92, current leader Narendra Modi said Thursday.
India “mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders,” Modi posted on social media platform X shortly after news broke of Singh’s passing.
“As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people’s lives.”
Singh lost consciousness at home on Thursday and was taken to a hospital in New Delhi, local media reported.
A statement by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences said he could not be resuscitated and was pronounced dead at 9:51 pm local time (1621 UTC/GMT).
Singh had been receiving treatment for age-related illnesses.
Rahul Gandhi pays tribute
“I have lost a mentor and guide,” opposition Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in a statement, adding that Singh had “led India with immense wisdom and integrity.”
“Millions of us who admired him will remember him with the utmost pride,” said Gandhi.
Born in 1932 in a village in what is now Pakistan, Singh studied economics, having won scholarships to attend both Cambridge, where he obtained a first in economics, and Oxford, where he completed his PhD.
Singh worked in several senior civil posts, served as a central bank governor and held various jobs with global agencies including the United Nations. But he never held office until his appointment as prime minister in 2004.
India’s economic woes reversed
Singh is considered the architect of economic reforms that, over the next decade, opened up the world’s most populous country after a severe financial crisis.
Singh also sealed a landmark nuclear deal with the United States that he said would help India meet its growing energy needs.
However, his coalition government faced a severe credibility crisis in its second term, tarnished by allegations of widespread corruption, slowing growth and stubborn inflation.
His supporters say Singh’s major achievements include pulling millions out of poverty with social programs.
Singh became a vocal critic of Modi’s economic policies, and more recently warned about the risks that rising communal tensions posed to India’s democracy.
mm/rmt (AFP, dpa)
