Himachal Govt pays tribute to Manmohan Singh, credits him for landmark initiatives

Acknowledging the significant contribution of Dr Manmohan Singh towards the development of Himachal Pradesh, the Cabinet paid rich tributes to the former prime minister on Thursday.

The Cabinet, which met here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, paid rich tributes to the ex-PM and observed a two-minute silence in his memory. The Cabinet credited him for granting several key projects for HP and his unwavering support for the development and specific needs of the hill state.

It also gave its nod to rename Himachal Pradesh Institute of Public Administration (HIPA) at Fairlawns near here to Dr Manmohan Singh Himachal Pradesh Institute of Public Administration. 

The Cabinet specifically mentioned the support from the late PM for key projects in Himachal, including the Rohtang-Atal tunnel, three medical colleges, the ESIC Hospital at Ner Chowk, IIT-Mandi, IIIT-Una, Kangra Central University and the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in Kangra.

It observed that Dr Manmohan Singh’s tenure as the PM and Union Finance Minister was transformative. His initiatives such as the Right to Information Act, Right to Education Act, MNREGA, Food Security Act, introduction of Aadhaar, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and the historic loan waiver for 72 lakh farmers were highlighted as milestones of his 10 years in office. 

The Cabinet, led by the CM, said the Indo-US Nuclear Deal, during his Prime Ministership, was hailed as a strategic achievement with lasting benefits for India. As the Union Finance Minister, he was instrumental in pulling the country out of an economic crisis and laying the strong foundation for economic reforms that reshaped India’s financial landscape, it noted.