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• Face in the News: India's new PM Dr Manmohan Singh

Face in the News: India's new PM Dr Manmohan Singh

22 May 2004

The new Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh at Commonwealth Secretariat headquarters Marlborough house.

Dr Manmohan Singh has taken over as the leader of the world's largest democracy of over one billion people.

The new Indian Prime Minister was born in the Indian state of Punjab in 1932. Known as a brilliant scholar Dr Singh studied economics at Oxford and Cambridge before returning to India to take up an academic career. He later moved to the civil service, where he rose quickly through the ranks. He was Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (India's Central Bank) from 1982 -1985.

Entering politics for the Congress party, he became Finance Minister in 1991, retaining that post until 1996. In that capacity he earned acclaim for ushering in reforms that restructured and opened up the economy, leading to India's economic renaissance.

In 2002, Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon invited Dr Singh to be the Chair of the Commonwealth Expert Group on Development and Democracy, which was established at the request of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Coolum to explore "how democracies might best be supported in alleviating poverty and promoting pro-poor development."

The report was presented to the Heads of Government at their meeting in Abuja last December and made recommendations designed to help governments draw up policies that alleviate poverty and consolidate democracy. In particular, it outlines a number of institutions and principles aimed at strengthening democracies. These include free and fair elections and representative legislatures; an independent judiciary; a transparent public accounts system; machinery to protect human rights; the right to information and active participation of civil society.

In a message of congratulations, Secretary General McKinnon said, "The recent elections represented a landmark transfer of power from one government to another in the world's largest democracy…I am confident that with your commitment to the Commonwealth and under your leadership, India's key role in the Commonwealth will continue and that the ties between the people of India and the Commonwealth will be further strengthened."