Dharamshala — His Holiness the Dalai Lama expressed his condolences on the passing away of Manmohan Singh, the 13th Prime Minister of India on December 26, 2024. His Holiness wrote, 'I will remember him in my prayers and offer my condolences his family at this sad time. I felt he was like an elder brother to me and he lived a truly meaningful life.'
His Holiness the Dalai Lama today wrote to his wife, Mrs Gursharan Kaur, to express his sadness after learning that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had passed away on December 26, 2024.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama wrote to Mrs Gursharan Kaur, "I will remember him in my prayers and offer my condolences to you and your family at this sad time."
"Whenever we met over the years I deeply appreciated his concern and good counsel. I felt he was like an elder brother to me," His Holiness added.
His Holiness wrote, " your husband was motivated by a strong wish to help others. He made a significant contribution to India’s development and prosperity, especially its economic growth, improving the lot of the Indian people. He was also a good friend to the Tibetan people."
His Holiness concludede his letter: "We can rejoice that for 92 years he lived a truly meaningful life—an inspiration to us all."
His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Manmohan Singh met in 2007 and 2010, when the latter was Prime Minister of India, and again in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described His Holiness the Dalai Lama as “the modern incarnation of the Buddha and God's gift to humanity”.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's ten-year legacy:
Right to Information Act (2005): PM Manmohan Singh's government implemented the Right to Information (RTI) Act in 2005, aims to promote transparency and accountability of the government and enable citizens to request information from public authorities within 30 days.
Launch of the MNREGA Act (2005): PM Singh's government introduces the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), which guarantees 100 days' employment for rural households and helps millions of Indians. Agricultural Debt Waiver And Debt Relief Scheme, 2008: Dr Singh's government implemented a ₹60,000 crore loan waiver scheme to alleviate the agrarian crisis, benefiting millions of farmers.
Aadhaar initiative (2009): The Aadhaar initiative, launched in 2009, has become the world's largest biometric identification system, providing a unique identifier for every citizen. National Food Security Act (2013): It also known as Right to Food Act, this act aimed to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two-thirds of India’s population, ensuring food security for millions.
