Rakesh Mohan, a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, remembered former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who passed away at 92 on Thursday. Singh, known for his role in India’s economic growth, served as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014. Mohan noted how Singh encouraged young, smart people to join the government and help shape policies.
Mohan, who was once the deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India, said Singh welcomed new ideas from young people. Some of the young advisers he brought in included Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Shankar Acharya, and Arvind Virmani.
Mohan shared his own experience. When Singh was the Member Secretary of the Planning Commission, Mohan returned to India at the age of 33 after working abroad. He didn’t know Singh well at first, but Singh supported him greatly. In fact, Singh let him create four policy committees about urban housing and development, allowing Mohan to work on these for two years.
Mohan, who has also held important positions like Secretary of Economic Affairs and Chief Economic Adviser, described Singh as kind and genuinely interested in learning about the world and the country.
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