India has announced seven days of state mourning after the death of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Singh’s funeral will include full state honors, with the national flag flown at half-mast until January 1. The date for the state funeral is yet to be announced.
India has announced seven days of state mourning following the death of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Singh passed away at the age of 92 on Thursday evening at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi after battling age-related illnesses.
Manmohan Singh served as India’s Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014. He will be remembered for his role in liberalizing India’s economy in the early 1990s. Under his leadership as Finance Minister in 1991, Singh introduced reforms that opened India to global markets. His efforts also steered the country from a financial crisis and onto a rapid growth path.
Born in 1932 in Gah, a village now in Pakistan, Singh’s family migrated to India during the partition in 1947. Despite the challenges, he excelled in academics, earning a doctorate in economics from Oxford University. Before entering politics, he held key positions in public service, including Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and Chief Economic Advisor.
As Prime Minister, Singh oversaw a period of economic boom and introduced social welfare programs such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). He also secured the landmark Indo-US Civil Nuclear Agreement, enhancing India’s global energy prospects. However, his tenure was later marred by corruption scandals and economic challenges.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and political leaders across party lines expressed their condolences, with Modi describing Singh as one of India’s most distinguished leaders. Tributes poured in from across the nation, including India’s cricket team, which wore black armbands during a match in Australia.
In recent years, Singh withdrew from active politics due to health reasons, with his last public appearance being in January 2024 at the launch of his daughter’s book. He retired from the Rajya Sabha in April 2024.
Singh’s funeral will include full state honors, with the national flag flown at half-mast until January 1. There is no official announcement of a state funeral so far. Singh leaves behind a legacy as a quiet yet impactful leader who played a pivotal role in shaping modern India.
