Dr Manmohan Singh, the gentle yet stern economist who transformed India from an almost bankrupt country to a land of opportunities, passed away at Thursday night at the age of 92. Throughout his career, Dr Singh held various positions of eminence right from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor to the 13th Prime Minister of India.
According to the last election affidavit he submitted in 2013, the former PM disclosed total wealth of ₹40.51 lakh in FY2011-12. As per his affidavit, his spouse Gursharan Kaur had cash in hand worth ₹20,000.
Gursharan Kaur had deposits worth ₹16,62,570 in a savings account in State Bank of Patiala. Furthermore, his investment in NSS, postal savings, insurance policies and other investments stood at ₹8,26,922.
Besides this, the couple owned Maruti Suzuki 800 of 1996 make which was purchased at a value of ₹2.40 lakh. Its value in 2013 was calculated at around ₹21,033. His spouse owned gold ornaments worth ₹3.45 lakh, as per this affidavit. The couple owned two residential houses -- one in Chandigarh and one in Delhi's Vasant Kunj.
Dr Singh's qualifications included Matric from Solan's East Panjab University (1948), Intermediate from Hindu College, Amritsar (1950), BA from Hindu College, Amritsar (1952), MA from Panjab University College, Hoshiarpur (1954), Tripos (Masters) from St John's College, Cambridge University (1957), and PhD from Nuffield College, Oxford University (1962).
Apart from his stint as the Prime Minister of India from 2004-14, Dr Singh is also renowned for his role as the Finance Minister in PV Narasimha Rao's dispensation from 1991-96. He played a significant role in the liberalisation of the Indian economy, which made brands such as Coke and Samsung mainstream in the country.
Singh was the RBI governor from 1982-85. He was nominated as the Rajya Sabha MP five times and his latest Rajya Sabha term was from Rajasthan. At present, Dr Singh is survived by his wife 87-year-old Gursharan Kaur and their three daughters.