Mumbai, September 26: Dr Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister and veteran Congress leader, will celebrate his 91st birthday today, September 26. Born on September 26, 1932, Dr. Manmohan Singh is a world-renowned economist and statesman. He served as the Prime Minister of India for ten years, from 2004 to 2014, while leading the Congress party at the Centre. Besides being a politician, Singh is also an economist and served as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) from 1982-1985.

While Dr Manmohan Singh was never a member of the Lok Sabha, he has served as a member of the Rajya Sabha. He represented Assam as a Rajya Sabha member from 1991 to 2019 and is presently representing Rajasthan since 2019. The former Prime Minister took the internet by surprise recently when he attended the Rajya Sabha proceedings in a wheelchair to witness a debate on the Delhi Services Bill. As the 13th Prime Minister of India turns a year older today, we take a look at some facts about his life. Manmohan Singh Birthday: Five Rare Known Facts About The Former Prime Minister As He Turns 88-Year-Old.

Lesser Known Facts About Manmohan Singh, India's 13th Prime Minister

  • Dr Manmohan Singh served as the country's 13th Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014. The veteran Congress leader was Prime Minister for two consecutive terms after the Congress won the Lok Sabha elections in 2004 and 2009, respectively.

  • Manmohan Singh was born in Gah, a village which was part of the Punjab province in British India. Notably, after partition in 1947, the village came under the jurisdiction of Pakistan.

  • Economist, academician, and politician are a few of the facets of his life. After his schooling, young Manmohan Singh studied economics and got his bachelor's and master's degrees from Punjab University in 1952 and 1954.

  • Did you know Manmohan Singh lost his mother at a very young age? After his mother's demise, he was raised by his paternal grandmother.

  • A young Manmohan Singh had a knack for studying. After finishing his master's degree, Singh went on to complete his Economics Tripos from Cambridge University and also pursued a DPhil from the University of Oxford.

  • Besides being a renowned politician and economist, Singh is also a teacher. After Cambridge, Singh returned to India and served as a teacher at Punjab University.

  • Did you know Dr Manmohan Singh worked as an advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Trade? The Congress leader was appointed as an advisor by Lalit Narayan Mishra, who recognised his talent as an economist.

  • As an economist, Manmohan Singh held several positions in the Government of India, including Chief Economic Advisor (1972-76), Governor of RBI (1982-85) and head of the Planning Commission (1985-87).

  • The breakthrough in Manmohan Singh's career came in 1991 when he was appointed the Finance Minister in the Cabinet of then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao.

  • As a Finance Minister, Singh brought some notable changes, including introducing "LPG - Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation", which opened the country's economy to the globe.

  • Did you know Dr Manmohan Singh also served as the Leader of the Opposition? He was the LoP in the Upper House from 1998 to 2004 during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

  • While Manmohan Singh has been a Rajya Sabha member, he did contest the Lok Sabha from South Delhi in 1999; however, he failed to win the seat. Former PM Dr Manmohan Singh on Wheelchair Attends Rajya Sabha Proceedings During Debate on Delhi Services Bill (See Pics and Video).

Finance Minister of the Year, Outstanding Parliamentary Award, and Top 100 Influential People in the World are some of the laurels Dr. Manmohan Singh earned through his illustrious career. As he turns a year older today, we wish him a happy birthday and good health.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 26, 2023 06:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).