Manmohan Singh
Dr. Manmohan Singh (Punjabi: ਮਨਮੋਹਨ ਸਿੰਘ, [mənˈmoːhən ˈsɪŋɡʱ]; born 26 September 1932) is the incumbent 14th Prime Minister of the Republic of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. He is the first Sikh to hold the post. Singh is also the 12th Prime Minister under an Indian National Congress Government.
Singh previously carried out economic reforms in India during his tenure as the Finance Minister, under the leadership of P. V. Narasimha Rao, from 1991 to 1996. These reforms resulted in the end of the Licence Raj system, helping to open the Indian economy to greater international trade and investment.[1]
In 2010, TIME magazine listed him among the 100 most influential people in the world.[2] Newsweek magazine also lists him as one of 10 world leaders who have won respect and was described as "the leader other leaders love"[3]
Background
An economist by profession, Singh was the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 1982 to 1985,[4] the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India from 1985 to 1987 and the Finance Minister of India from 1991 to 1996. He is also a Rajya Sabha member from Assam, currently serving his fourth term.[5].
Manmohan Singh is a graduate of Punjab University, Chandigarh, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Oxford. After serving as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India, Singh was appointed as the Union Minister of Finance in 1991 by the then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, who chose a professional economist breaking the tradition of political appointments to Finance Ministry. Narasimha Rao took up the task of political management largely insulating Dr.Manmohan Singh from political pressure and interference. During his tenure as the Finance Minister, Singh is widely credited with carrying out economic reforms in India in 1991 which resulted in the weakening of Licence Raj system.[1]
Following the 2004 general elections, Singh was unexpectedly declared as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the Indian National Congress-led United Progressive Alliance. He was sworn in as the prime minister on 22 May 2004, along with the First Manmohan Singh Cabinet. After the Indian National Congress won the 2009 general elections, On 22 May 2009, Manmohan Singh was sworn in for his second tenure as the Prime Minister at the Asoka Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Childhood and education
Manmohan Singh was born to Gurmukh Singh and Amrit Kaur on 26 September 1932, in Gah, Punjab, (now in Chakwal District, Pakistan), British India, into a Sikh family. He lost his mother when he was very young and was raised by his paternal grandmother, to whom he was very close. After the Partition of India, his family migrated to Amritsar, India, where he studied at Hindu College. He attended Punjab University, Chandigarh, studying Economics and got his bachelor's and master's degrees in 1952 and 1954, respectively, standing first throughout his academic career. He went on to read for the Economics Tripos at Cambridge as a member of St John's College (In the Oxbridge tradition, holders of the B.A degree with honors are entitled in due course to an M.A degree). He won the Wright's Prize for distinguished performance in 1955 and 1957. He was also one of the few recipients of the Wrenbury scholarship. In 1962, Singh completed his D.Phil from the University of Oxford where he was a member of Nuffield College. The title of his doctoral thesis was "India’s export performance, 1951–1960, export prospects and policy implications" and his thesis supervisor was Dr. I.M.D.Little. This thesis later outgrew into the book "India’s Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth".[6]
In 1997, the University of Alberta awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Law degree. The University of Oxford awarded him an honorary Doctor of Civil Law degree in June 2006, and in October 2006, the University of Cambridge followed with the same honour. St. John's College further honoured him by naming a Ph.D Scholarship after him, the Dr. Manmohan Singh Scholarship.
Early career
After completing his D.Phil, Singh worked for United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) from 1966–1969. During the 1970s, he taught at the University of Delhi and worked for the Ministry of Foreign Trade with then Cabinet Minister for Foreign Trade Lalit Narayan Mishra and for Finance Ministry of India. As a Minister of Foreign Trade, Lalit Narayan Mishra was one of amongst first to recognize the potential of Dr Manmohan Singh and appointed him as his advisor at Ministry of Foreign Trade. The Mr. Singh-Mr. Mishra’s first meeting coincidently happened in an India-US-Chile flight. Mr. Mishra the minister for commerce (then called minister for foreign trade) was on his way to Santiago, Chile, to attend a meeting of the UNCTAD.
In 1982, he was appointed the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and held the post until 1985. He went on to become the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission of India from 1985 to 1987.
Finance Minister of India
In 1991, India's then Prime Minister, P.V. Narasimha Rao, chose Singh to be the Finance Minister. At the time, India was facing an economic crisis. Rao and Singh implemented policies to open up the economy and change the socialist economic system to a capitalistic economy. The economic reform package included dismantling the Licence Raj that made it difficult for private businesses to exist and prosper, removal of many obstacles for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and initiating the process of the privatisation of public sector companies. However, in spite of these reforms, Rao's government was voted out in 1996 due to non-performance of government in other areas.
In 1993, Dr. Singh offered his resignation from the post of Finance Minister after a parliamentary investigation report criticised his ministry for not being able to check and anticipate a $1.8 billion dollar securities scandal.The then Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao refused the resignation, instead promising to punish the individuals mentioned in the report.[7]
Career in the Rajya Sabha
Singh was first elected to the upper house of Parliament, the Rajya Sabha, in 1991[8] and was re-elected in 2001 and 2007. From 1998 to 2004, while the Bharatiya Janata Party was in power, Singh was the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. In 1999, he contested for the Lok Sabha from South Delhi but was unable to win the seat[9].Some opposition parties have criticised Singh's election as a Rajya Sabha member from Assam, arguing that he was not eligible to become a Member of Parliament from a state where he does not reside.[citation needed]
Prime ministership
14th Lok Sabha
After the 2004 general elections, the Indian National Congress stunned the incumbent National Democratic Alliance (NDA) by becoming the political party with the single largest number of seats in the Lok Sabha. In a surprise move, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi declared Manmohan Singh, a technocrat, as the UPA candidate for the Prime Minister post. Despite the fact that Singh had never won a Lok Sabha seat, he "has enjoyed massive popular support, not least because he was seen by many as a clean politician untouched by the taint of corruption that has run through many Indian administrations."[12] He took the oath as the Prime Minister of India on 22 May 2004.[13][14]
Foreign policy
Manmohan Singh's Government has continued the pragmatic foreign policy that was started by P.V. Narasimha Rao and continued by Bharatiya Janata Party's Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Prime Minister has continued the peace process with Pakistan initiated by his predecessor, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Exchange of high-level visits by top leaders from both countries have highlighted his tenure, as has reduced terrorism and increased prosperity in the state of Kashmir. Efforts have been made during Singh's tenure to end the border dispute with People's Republic of China. In November 2006, Chinese President Hu Jintao visited India which was followed by Singh's visit to Beijing in January 2008. A major development in Sino-Indian relations was the reopening of the Nathula Pass in 2006 after being closed for more than four decades. As of 2010, the People's Republic of China is the second biggest trade partner of India.[15]
Relations with Afghanistan have also improved considerably, with India now becoming the largest regional donor to Afghanistan.[16] During Afghan President Hamid Karzai's visit to New Delhi in August 2008, Manmohan Singh increased the aid package to Afghanistan for the development of more schools, health clinics, infrastructure, and defence.[17] Under the leadership of Singh, India has emerged as one of the single largest aid donors to Afghanistan.[17]
Singh's government has worked towards stronger ties with the United States. He visited the United States in July 2005 initiating negotiations over the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement. This was followed by George W. Bush's successful visit to India in March 2006, during which the declaration over the nuclear agreement was made, giving India access to American nuclear fuel and technology while India will have to allow IAEA inspection of its civil nuclear reactors. After more than two years for more negotiations, followed by approval from the IAEA, Nuclear Suppliers Group and the US Congress, India and the U.S. signed the agreement on 10 October 2008.[18]
Prime Minister Singh had the first official state visit to the White House during the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama. The visit took place in November 2009, and several discussions took place, including on trade and nuclear power. It was set during a wider visit to the United States by Dr. Singh.
During Singh's tenure as Prime Minister, relations have improved with Japan and European Union countries, like the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. Relations with Iran have continued and negotiations over the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline have taken place. New Delhi hosted an India–Africa Summit in April 2006 which was attended by the leaders of 15 African states.[19] Relations have improved with other developing countries, particularly Brazil and South Africa. Singh carried forward the momentum which was established after the "Brasilia Declaration" in 2003 and the IBSA Dialogue Forum was formed.[20]
Manmohan Singh's government has also been especially keen on expanding ties with Israel. Since 2003, the two countries have made significant investments in each other[21] and Israel now rivals Russia to become India's defence partner.[22] Though there have been a few diplomatic glitches between India and Russia, especially over the delay and price hike of several Russian weapons to be delivered to India,[23] relations between the two remain strong with India and Russia signing various agreements to increase defence, nuclear energy and space cooperation.[24]
Economic policy
Singh first became the finance minister of India in the year 1991. During which time India's fiscal deficit was close to 8.5 per cent of the gross domestic product; the balance of payments deficit was huge and the current account deficit was close to 3.5 per cent of GDP.[25] Essentially the country was hemorrhaging money. It was during this time Singh opened the Indian economy to foreign investment and introduced competition.[25][26] At the time Indian foreign reserve was barely a billion dollars as compared to $283 billion today.[27] Singh also freed India from the strong hold of License Raj – which created social instability and low economic growth – and essentially liberalising Indian economy, which put the country on fast track for development. Singh, along with the former Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, have presided over a period where the Indian economy has grown with an 8–9% economic growth rate. In 2007, India achieved its highest GDP growth rate of 9% and became the second fastest growing major economy in the world.[28][29] Singh is a strong believer of globalisation, and the fact that with India's immense labour-intensive capacity, its goods would be able to find its way on the world market and relieve poverty.[30]
Singh's government has continued the Golden Quadrilateral and the highway modernisation program that was initiated by Vajpayee's government. Singh has also been working on reforming the banking and financial sectors as well as public sector companies. The Finance ministry has been working towards relieving farmers of their debt and has been working towards pro-industry policies. In 2005, Singh's government introduced the Value added tax that replaced the complicated sales tax. In 2007 and early 2008, inflation became a big problem globally.[31]
Healthcare and education
In 2005, Prime Minister Singh and his government's health ministry started the National Rural Health Mission, which has mobilised half a million community health workers. This rural health initiative was praised by the American economist Jeffrey Sachs.[32]
Dr. Singh has announced that eight more Indian Institutes of Technology will be opened in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Orissa, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. The Singh government has also continued the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programme, begun by his predecessor, Mr. Vajpayee. The programme has included the introduction and improvement of mid-day meals and the opening of schools all over India, especially in rural areas, to fight illiteracy.
Security and Home Affairs
Dr. Singh's government has been criticised by opposition parties for revoking POTA and for the many bomb blasts in various cities, like in Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Jaipur, etc. and for not being able to reduce the Naxal terrorism that is menacing rural areas in Eastern and Central India. Singh's government has, however, extended the ban on the radical Islamic terror group Student's Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
Manmohan Singh administration initiated a massive reconstruction effort in Kashmir to stabilise the region but after some period of success, infiltration and terrorism in Kashmir has increased since 2009.[33] However, the Singh administration has been successful in reducing terrorism in north-east India.[33]
Legislation
The important National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and the Right to Information Act were passed by the Parliament in 2005 during his tenure. While the effectiveness of the NREGA has been successful at various degrees, in various regions, the RTI act has proved crucial in India's fight against corruption.[34]
15th Lok Sabha
India held general elections to the 15th Lok Sabha in five phases between 16 April 2009 and 13 May 2009. The results of the election were announced on 16 May 2009[35]. Strong showing in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh helped the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) form the new government under the incumbent Singh, who became the first prime minister since Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962 to win re-election after completing a full five-year term.[36] The Congress and its allies were able to put together a comfortable majority with support from 322 members out of 543 members of the House. The opposition having accepted defeat admitted that the specific targeting of Singh as "weak PM" was wrong and had benefited Singh instead. This led to infighting in the BJP and criticism of Mr. Advani by many prominent leaders of the BJP.[37]. The tally of 322 seats included those of the UPA and the external support from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and other minor parties.[38]
On 22 May 2009, Manmohan Singh was sworn in as the Prime Minister during a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. As is the norm, earlier, on 18 May 2009, he submitted his resignation as the Prime Minister to President Pratibha Patil.[39][40]
Personal life
Dr. Singh married Gursharan Kaur in 1958. However, the family has largely stayed out of the limelight. Their three daughters, Upinder Singh, Daman Singh and Amrit Singh, have successful, non-political, careers. [41]
Upinder Singh is a professor of history at Delhi University. She has written six books, including Ancient Delhi (1999) and A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India (2008).[42]
Daman Singh is a graduate of St. Stephen's College, Delhi and Institute of Rural Management, Anand, Gujarat, and author of The Last Frontier: People and Forests in Mizoram and a novel Nine by Nine.[43]
Amrit Singh is a staff attorney at the ACLU. [44]
Singh has undergone multiple cardiac bypass surgeries, the most recent being in January 2009.[45]
Public Image
Singh has always been perceived as a man of clean background with high intellect. He is seen as a man of few words and someone who stays away from controversies.
The Independent described him as "one of the world's most revered leaders" and "a man of uncommon decency and grace" still driving a Maruti 800, one of the humblest cars in the Indian market. [46]
Eminent writer Khushwant Singh lauded Dr. Singh as the best prime minister India has had, even rating him higher than Jawaharlal Nehru. He mentions an incident in his book Absolute Khushwant: The Low-Down on Life, Death and Most things In-between where after losing the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, Dr. Singh immediately returned the ₹ 200,000 he had borrowed from the writer for hiring taxis. Terming him as the best example of integrity, Mr. Khushwant Singh stated, "When people talk of integrity, I say the best example is the man who occupies the country's highest office." [47]
Degrees and posts held
- BA (Hons) in Economics 1952; MA First Class in Economics, 1954 Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
- Honours degree in Economics, University of Cambridge - (St John's College; 1957)
- Senior Lecturer, Economics (1957–1959)
- Reader (1959–1963)
- Professor (1963–1965)
- Professor of International Trade (1969–1971)
- DPhil in Economics, University of Oxford - (Nuffield College; 1962)
- Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi
- Honorary Professor (1996)
- Chief, Financing for Trade Section, UNCTAD, United Nations Secretariat, Manhattan, New York
- 1966 : Economic Affairs Officer 1966
- Economic Advisor, Ministry of Foreign Trade, India (1971–1972)
- Chief Economic Advisor, Ministry of Finance, India, (1972–1976)
- Honorary Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi (1976)
- Director, Reserve Bank of India (1976–1980)
- Director, Industrial Development Bank of India (1976–1980)
- Secretary, Ministry of Finance (Department of Economic Affairs), Government of India, (1977–1980)
- Governor, Reserve Bank of India (1982–1985)
- Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission of India, (1985–1987)
- Secretary General, South Commission, Geneva (1987–1990)
- Advisor to Prime Minister of India on Economic Affairs (1990–1991)
- Finance Minister of India, (21 June 1991 – 15 May 1996)
- Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha (1998–2004)
- Prime Minister of India (22 May 2004 – Present)
See also
- Dr Manmohan Singh Scholarship at the University of Cambridge
- Official State Visit at the White House : Barack Obama with Manmohan Singh
- Economic reforms under Dr Manmohan Singh
References
- ^ a b Biswas, Soutik (14 October 2005). "India's architect of reforms". BBC News. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
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(help) - ^ Nooyi, Indra (29 April 2010), "The 2010 TIME 100", TIME Magazine
- ^ http://www.newsweek.com/content/newsweek/2010/08/16/go-to-the-head-of-the-class.html
- ^ "RBI History – Miscellany – Governors". Reserve Bank of India. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
- ^ Manmohan Singh elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha
- ^ "Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). Prime Minister's Office. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
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(help) - ^ "Indian Leader Bars Key Aide From Quitting in Stock Scam". The New York Times. 1 January 1994. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- ^ "Profile: Prime Minister India". Indian gov. Retrieved 23 May 2009.
- ^ "Candidate Statistics Manmohan Singh". IBN Live. Retrieved 30 November 2009.
- ^ Watson, Paul (24 May 2004). "Economist chosen to become next prime minister of India". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
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(help) - ^ Strengthen Team India – The Australian
- ^ "Profile: Manmohan Singh". BBC NEWS. 30 March 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- ^ "Manmohan to Advani: Change your astrologers, stop abuse against me". Thaindian News. 22 July 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ "Manmohan takes on Advani: Babri destruction his only contribution". Southasia Times. 25 March 2009. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
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(help) [dead link] - ^ China becomes India's 2nd largest trade partner
- ^ Bajoria, Jayshree (23 October 2008). "India-Afghanistan Relations". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
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(help) - ^ a b India announces more Afghan aid
- ^ "U.S., India ink historic civilian nuclear deal". People's Daily. 11 October 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
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(help) - ^ "Several African leaders to attend Africa-India summit, AU says". African Press International. 28 March 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
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(help) - ^ Beri, Ruchita (10 December 2008). "IBSA Dialogue Forum: A Strategic Partnership". The African Executive. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
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(help) - ^ Halarnkar, Samar (23 October 2007). "India and Israel: The great seduction". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
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(help) - ^ Waldman, Amy (7 September 2003). "The Bond Between India and Israel Grows". New York Times. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
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(help) - ^ Dikshit, Sandeep (17 April 2008). "Centre admits to problems in naval deals". The Hindu. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
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(help) - ^ Roychowdhury, Amitabh (6 December 2006). "India, Russia sign agreements to further strengthen ties". Outlook. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
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(help) - ^ a b rediff Business Desk (26 September 2005). "Manmohan Singh: Father of Indian Reform". Rediff.com. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
{{cite web}}
:|author=
has generic name (help) - ^ L. Friedman, Thomas (2008). The World is Flat – A brief history of the twenty-first century. Picador. p. 130. ISBN 0-374-29288-4.
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specified (help) - ^ Mahalakshmi Hariharan (Saturday 2 January 2010). "Forex reserves swell 11% in 2009". Yahoo Finance India. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
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(help) - ^ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html#Econ
- ^ "The India Report" (PDF). Astaire Research.
- ^ rediff Business Desk (26 September 2005). "Manmohan Singh: Father of Indian Reform". Rediff.com. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
{{cite web}}
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has generic name (help) - ^ http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/12/business/inflate.php
- ^ Jeffrey D. Sachs (6 March 2005). "The End of Poverty". Time Magazine.
- ^ a b >Infiltration has not reduced in Kashmir, insurgency down in North East: Chidambaram
- ^ RTI Act: A strong tool to cleanse corruption in India
- ^ "India's ruling party wins resounding victory". The Associated Press. 16 May 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
- ^ "Second UPA win, a crowning glory for Sonia's ascendancy". Business Standard. 16 May 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
- ^ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Its-an-ugly-free-for-all-in-BJP/articleshow/4678345.cms.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ "Smooth sailing for UPA, parties scramble to support". CNN-IBN. 19 May 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
- ^ "Team Manmohan set to form govt today". Times Now. 22 May 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
- ^ "India PM Singh takes oath for second term". Reuters. 22 May 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
- ^ "Dr. Manmohan Singh: Personal Profile". Prime Minister's Office, Government of India. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ Raote, Rrishi (10 October 2008). "This Singh is King of History". Business Standard. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
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(help) - ^ "Meet Dr. Singh's daughter". Rediff.com. 28 January 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ Rajghatta, Chidanand (21 December 2007). "PM's daughter puts White House in the dock". Times of India. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
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(help) - ^ "One graft successfully performed on Manmohan Singh". The Hindu. 24 January 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
- ^ "Manmohan Singh: The best man for an impossible job". The Independent. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
- ^ "PM Manmohan Singh is the best example of integrity: Khushwant Singh". Times Of India. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
External links
Government of India links
- Prime Minister's Office Official page includes Profile and Curriculum Vitae
- Prime Minister's profile at the Government of India website
- List of current Union Ministers, includes the portfolios held by the Prime Minister.
- "Speaking softly & making it stick". Rediff.
- Use dmy dates from August 2010
- 1932 births
- Alumni of Nuffield College, Oxford
- Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge
- Current national leaders
- Fellows of St John's College, Cambridge
- Fellows of Nuffield College, Oxford
- Finance Ministers of India
- Governors of the Reserve Bank of India
- Indian bankers
- Indian civil servants
- Indian economists
- Indian National Congress
- Indian National Congress politicians
- Indian Sikhs
- Living people
- Manmohan Singh administration
- Members of the Cabinet of India
- Ministers for External Affairs of India
- Recipients of the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award
- Panjab University alumni
- People from Assam
- People from Chandigarh
- Prime Ministers of India
- Punjabi politicians
- Rajya Sabha members