Profile of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

Good guys don't always finish last. That's what Prime Minister Manmohan Singh proved in no uncertain terms as he was sworn in for a second five-year term today.

What has separated the soft-spoken and mild-mannered economist-turned-politician from most other people in politics is that, in close to two decades in public life he has managed to retain his image of an essentially decent person who upholds the highest standards of personal integrity and intellectual honesty.

In the run-up to the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections, the opposition, especially the Bharatiya Janata Party's Prime Ministerial candidate Lal Krishna Advani, tried to paint him as a "weak" Prime Minister. Dr Singh hit back with such force that surprised even his colleagues and left his opponents so stunned that they never quite recovered in the campaign.

In the end, the Congress party's impressive tally of 206 and the UPA's final number of 274 seats in the Lok Sabha is being seen as much as his achievement as that of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi.

His first term as Prime Minister from May 22, 2004 till today will be remembered most for many of the development programmes launched by the government, especially the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), which ultimately played a major role in ensuring a second innings for the UPA government. There were also other flagship programmes such as Bharat Nirman and the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. But, equally, his first term will stand out for the India-US Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement that he spearheaded, over the objections of many of his own party colleagues and of the Left parties, whose support was crucial for his government's survival.

The people of the country got a rare chance to see a different side to Dr Singh when he staked his government to ensure the deal went through. The Left parties withdrew their support on the issue but the Prime Minister had managed to get the Samajwadi Party on his side and the agreement, which promises to help solve India's power supply problems and end India's nuclear isolation, was finally signed.

Dr Singh was born on September 26, 1932 in a village in the Punjab province of then undivided India. Starting off from very humble beginnings, he completed his matriculation examinations from the Punjab University in 1948. He went on to study economics at Punjab University and in 1952 topped the University's B.A. Economics (Honours) course. He completed his M.A, in Economics from Punjab University in 1954 and later earned a First Class Honours degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge in 1957. He followed this up with a D. Phil. in Economics form Nuffield College at Oxford University in 1962.

In 1964, he wrote a book "India's Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth" on India's inward-looking trade policies.

The economist spent some years teaching at the Punjab University and the prestigious Delhi School of Economics. He also worked briefly in the UNCTAD Secretariat.

Dr Singh's first assignment in the Government of India was as Economic Adviser in the Ministry of Commerce in 1971. He went on to become the Chief Economic Adviser in the Ministry of Finance the next year.

During a very distinguished career, he worked as Finance Secretary, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission. He went on to serve as Secretary General of the South Commission in Geneva.

On his return to India, he was appointed by then Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar as his Adviser on Economic Affairs. Later, he had a brief stint as the Chairman of the University Grants Commission.

The turning point came in 1991 when he was chosen by then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao to become the country's Finance Minister and given the task of ushering in far-reaching economic reforms, a task that he performed with aplomb and which earned him worldwide praise.

Dr Singh was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, the country's second highest civilian honour, in 1987.

Dr Singh made one unsuccessful attempt to enter the Lok Sabha from the New Delhi constituency, but failed. He has been a member of the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of Parliament, from 1991.

Dr Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur have three daughters.

NNN