Family gives nod to Manmohan Singh's memorial at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal       

Decks have been cleared to build a memorial to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, with his family's nod to the proposed site at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal.

Sources close to Singh's family said it had written to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, approving the site proposed and sending a letter of acceptance.

The three daughters of Singh, also a former Union finance minister, and their husbands had earlier visited the proposed memorial site.

The site, measuring around 900 square metres, is at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, where the memorials to many former prime ministers and presidents have been set up.

The memorial to former president Pranab Mukherjee is adjacent to the site proposed for Manmohan Singh.

The next in the process would be the transfer of land in the name of a trust to be set up in memory of Manmohan Singh. The family has to propose and finalise the names of members of the trust, which is likely to be set up soon, sources said.

Once the trust is formed, the government will transfer a grant of Rs 25 lakh for the building of the memorial, sources said.

The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) officials have already visited the site.

Singh, considered the architect of India's economic reforms, died on December 26, 2024, at the age of 92 following age-related complications.

His last rites were held at the Nigambodh Ghat.

The choice of the funeral ground was frowned upon then by the Congress, the party Singh was associated with.