The family of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has officially consented to the creation of his memorial at Delhi's Rashtriya Smriti Sthal. Located near Raj Ghat, the memorial will occupy a 900 square metre plot within this complex of samadhis.
This decision was formalised following a visit to the site by Singh's family, after which his wife, Gursharan Kaur, sent an acceptance letter to the government. The site inspection was carried out last week by Singh's daughters, Upinder and Daman Singh, reinforcing the family's commitment to the project, The Indian Express reported citing sources.
With only two unoccupied plots left at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, one has already been earmarked for the family of former President Pranab Mukherjee. The remaining plot has been accepted by Singh's family, adding urgency to their plans for memorial construction.
According to Upinder Singh, "The land is to be allotted to a Trust and we will shortly set that up. The stipulation is that we can apply for a one-time grant of up to Rs 25 lakh for the construction of the memorial." This financial plan is crucial as the family moves forward with the dedication to preserve Singh’s legacy.
The Rashtriya Smriti Sthal complex currently includes nine samadhis, all sharing a consistent architectural style. Dr Singh’s plot is centrally located, bordered by the samadhis of former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar and Presidents R Venkataraman and Giani Zail Singh, with Pranab Mukherjee's nearby.
This strategic placement underscores the significance of Dr Singh's contribution to Indian politics, while also marking one of the final allocations within the complex.
It was under Dr Singh’s leadership in 2013 that the Union Cabinet decided to create this common memorial ground, aiming to mitigate individual samadhi land allocations. Despite this forward-thinking policy, his memorial will occupy one of the last available spaces.
Dr Singh’s cremation was conducted at Nigambodh Ghat on the Yamuna’s banks, with the Ministry of Home Affairs confirming land allocation for his memorial posthumously, following a formal request from the Congress.
In its statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs communicated, "...it has been communicated to Congress President and the family of the late Dr Manmohan Singh that the Government will allocate space for the memorial. In the meanwhile, cremation and other formalities can happen because a trust has to be formed and space has to be allocated to it."