Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who governed the South Asian country for two terms and liberalised its economy in an earlier stint as finance minister, has died. He was 92.
Singh, an economist-turned-politician who also served as the governor of the central bank, was ailing and admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi late on Thursday.
His health deteriorated due to “sudden loss of consciousness at home,” the hospital said in a statement. He was “being treated for age-related medical conditions,” the statement added.
A mild-mannered technocrat, Singh became one of India’s longest-serving prime ministers for 10 years, serving from 2004-2014, earning a reputation as a man of great personal integrity.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who succeeded Singh in 2014, called him one of India’s “most distinguished leaders” who rose from humble origins and left “a strong imprint on our economic policy over the years”.
“As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people’s lives,” Modi said in a post on X. He called Singh’s interventions in Parliament as a lawmaker “insightful” and said “his wisdom and humility were always visible”.
Born into a poor family in a part of British-ruled India now in Pakistan, Singh studied by candlelight to win a place at Cambridge University before heading to Oxford, earning a doctorate with a thesis on the role of exports and free trade in India’s economy.
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