NEW DELHI, Sept 10: The late former Prime Minister and distinguished economist Dr Manmohan Singh has been honoured posthumously with the prestigious P V Narasimha Rao Memorial Award for Economics, in recognition of his pioneering role in shaping India’s economic reforms and laying the foundation for the country’s transformation into a modern, globally integrated economy.
The Hyderabad-based P V Narasimha Rao Memorial Foundation (PVNMF), which instituted the award to acknowledge exceptional contributions in the field of economics, announced that the honour was conferred during a solemn ceremony held in the national capital last week. Accepting the award on Dr Singh’s behalf was his wife, Gursharan Kaur, who received warm applause from dignitaries and participants present.
The award was presented by Montek Singh Ahluwalia, former Deputy Chairman of the erstwhile Planning Commission and a close associate of Dr Singh during the watershed years of India’s economic liberalisation in the early 1990s. Ahluwalia, who played a key role in policy formulation alongside Dr Singh, lauded the late leader’s visionary approach, describing him as the architect of reforms that helped India emerge from a balance-of-payments crisis to become one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.
PVNMF President K. Ramchandra Murthy and General Secretary Madhamchetty Anil Kumar were also present at the event, which brought together academics, policymakers, and admirers of both P V Narasimha Rao and Dr Manmohan Singh. The Foundation noted that the award symbolises not only Dr Singh’s towering intellectual legacy but also the continuity of reformist spirit championed by Rao and Singh during their historic partnership in government.
Dr Manmohan Singh, who served as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014 and earlier as Finance Minister under P V Narasimha Rao, is widely credited with opening up India’s economy through reforms that dismantled the license-permit raj, promoted liberalisation, and positioned India on a new trajectory of growth. The award, conferred posthumously, has been seen as a fitting tribute to his lifelong service as a statesman, economist, and reformer.