Manmohan Singh retires from Parliament; a look at his tenure, educational qualification

NEW DELHI: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh ends his 33-year-long parliamentary innings in the Rajya Sabha today. Singh is known for many bold reforms in the economy and has always attributed his professional success to his education. The 91-year-old completes his tenure today just as the former Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi will enter the Rajya Sabha for the first time.

Along with Manmohan Singh, as many as 54 members of Rajya Sabha and 9 union ministers will be retiring today.

Manmohan Singh, who has a PhD from Oxford University, returned to India first to teach. He was a professor at Panjab University in Amritsar till 1965. He worked as the chief of financing for trade section in United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTSD) for three years. From 1969 – 1971, he taught international trade in Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University, before working for the government.

Renowned writer Mulk Raj Anand took Singh to meet the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru who asked him to join the government. However, Singh refused the offer and choose to teach at the college.

Later in 1971, Singh became the economic advisor for the ministry of foreign trade for a brief period of one year. He also held several major roles including chief economic advisor to the Government of India; finance secretary; governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI); deputy chairman of Planning Commission; Union finance minister; University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman; advisor to prime minister of India on economic affairs, and the prime minister of India.

Education qualification of Manmohan Singh

Born in the village of Gah in Pakistan in 1932, Manmohan Singh completed his schooling and higher education from Panjab University and stayed in Amritsar after partition.

Singh was awarded the coveted Wright’s Prize and Adam Smith Prize, University of Cambridge, for his academic performance that helped him to go to Cambridge University to pursue his higher education.

1952 - Manmohan Singh completed BA Economics (Hons) from Panjab University and won second class with first position in the University

1954 - MA Economics from Panjab University. He bagged first class and first position in the University

1957 - Economic Tripos [First Class honours], University of Cambridge

1962 - D Phil from Nuffield College, University of Oxford.

Sanjaya Baru who served as media advisor to Manmohan Singh said “India has never had such a qualified prime minister”. When asked Singh for the secret of his professional success, he would say only one thing, “I am what I am because of my education”, Baru had said.