On the first day of the Sixth Session of the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly, the Chief Minister of Nagaland, Dr. Neiphiu Rio on 3rd March 2025 at the Nagaland Legislative Assembly hall, Kohima made an obituary reference to the late former Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh who passed away on 26th December 2024 at the age of 92 years in Delhi.
Lt. Dr. Singh was respected statesman and economist, served as the India's Prime Minister from 2004-2014, leaving a lasting impact on the country's political and economic landscape. He was considered the architect of key liberalizing economic reforms during the 1990s. He was the first Indian leader since Jawaharlal Nehru to be re-elected after serving a full term, and the first Sikh to hold the country's top post.
Lt. Dr. Singh was born on September 26, 1932, in a humble village in Gah, Punjab now in Pakistan. He excelled academically, earning degree from Punjab University, a master's from the University of Cambridge and then a Ph. D from Oxford University. As India's Finance Minister in 1991, he played a pivotal role in steering the country out of a financial crisis. He held some prominent positions in various capacities such as Chief Economic Advisor of Finance, Secretary in the Finance Ministry, Planning Commission and Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
Despite having faced criticisms and challenges during his Prime Ministership, his dedication to serving nation never wavered. He was known as "The Accidental Prime Minister", who proved time and again, that he was no accident. Throughout his career, he was known for his integrity, intelligence and pragmatic approach to foreign policy.
(Nongozo Rikha, Asst. Director, Avika, IA)
