Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be conferred the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2017.
The award jury, which chose the 85-year-old economist and politician for the award, was chaired by former President Pranab Mukherjee.
The Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust said in a statement that Singh was chosen for his leadership of the country and its achievements during the momentous ten years from 2004 to 2014.
The trust said Singh got the prize for his contribution to the cause of economic and social development, for improving India’s stature in the world and its relationship with its neighbours and the leading nations, and for his dedication to the security and well being of ordinary citizens regardless of their faith, caste, religion or language.
An internationally renowned economist, Singh entered politics as finance minister in the PV Narsimha Rao government, where he piloted the 1991 economic liberalisation programme. He was leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha between 1998 and 2004, and became Prime Minister when the United Progressive Alliance formed the government in 2004.
As Prime Minister, he was responsible for significant initiatives, including the nuclear deal with the US and the Copenhagen climate change accord. “The ten years of his prime ministership were not only period of rapid economic and social change, they witnessed the lowest terrorist violence, prolonged communal harmony, peace on the country’s borders and a globally acknowledged rise in India’s standing in the global community of nations,” the statement said.
{{/usCountry}}As Prime Minister, he was responsible for significant initiatives, including the nuclear deal with the US and the Copenhagen climate change accord. “The ten years of his prime ministership were not only period of rapid economic and social change, they witnessed the lowest terrorist violence, prolonged communal harmony, peace on the country’s borders and a globally acknowledged rise in India’s standing in the global community of nations,” the statement said.
{{/usCountry}}Born in Gah (now in Pakistan), Singh is only the third Indian Prime Minister to complete two full terms.
He obtained a doctorate from Oxford University and worked with the United Nations in the 1960s before joining the Indian government as an adviser in the ministry of commerce.
Singh handled several roles during his career such as chief economic adviser, the governor of Reserve Bank of India and deputy chairman of the Planning Commission. He was also Secretary General of the South Commission based in Geneva.