Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday led the nation in paying tribute to his predecessor Dr. Manmohan Singh, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 92. The former Prime Minister will be laid to rest on Saturday, and the Union government has announced a period of national mourning lasting seven days.
PM Modi visited Singh¡¯s residence on Friday morning to offer condolences to his family and pay his last respects to the distinguished economist, who left an indelible mark on the country.
PM Modi described the passing of Dr. Singh as a setback to the whole nation and referred to him as "an example for future generations regarding how we can rise above struggles and achieve greater heights."
"He will always be remembered as an honest man, a great economist, and a leader who dedicated himself to reforms. As an economist, he provided a lot of services to the nation. During a challenging time, he served as RBI Governor... when he was Finance Minister in the cabinet of former PM Bharat Ratna PV Narasimha Rao, he gave the country, which was reeling under economic crisis, a new direction in terms of economy," PM Modi said.
Dr. Singh, who served as the Prime Minister for two terms in the Congress-led UPA government from 2004 to 2014, had been battling age-related health complications for some time. Earlier this year, the six-time Rajya Sabha MP had retired from the Upper House of the Indian Parliament due to poor health.
On Thursday evening, the 92-year-old was rushed to the All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, in a critical condition.
An AIIMS bulletin said, "He was treated for age-related medical conditions and had a sudden loss of consciousness at home" on December 26. "Resuscitative measures were started immediately at home. He was brought to the medical emergency at AIIMS Delhi at 8.06 pm. Despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9.51 pm," said the bulletin.
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