Besides economic reforms, Manmohan’s tenure saw several egalitarian legislations

It is true that he was instrumental in elevating the country to the ranks of major global economic powers by introducing long-wanted economic reforms, but when one casts one’s eyes on the various landmark egalitarian legislations during his tenure, his achievement seems no less monumental.

One legislation that will go down in history as a great tool  in the hands of citizens to hold the government accountable is the Right to Information Act, 2005.

The Act provided the common man greater and smoother access to information about decisions  and acts of the government and its agencies, which is must in a democratic society.

The second significant law passed by Parliament in 2005, was the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act under which a minimum of 100 days of guaranteed wage employment every year to every household was ensured  In 2009, the title of the Act was changed to  Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

The National Food Security Act, 2013 was another landmark legislation which said that the state shall “regard the raising of the level of nutrition and the standard of living of its people and the improvement of public health as among its primary duties”. This was in line with the Directive Principles of State Policy.  Yet another law in furtherance of these directive principles was
Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, passed in 2009.

Through this Act,  the government inserted a new Article, 21-A,into Part III of the constitution, mandating universal elementary education for children up to 14 years of age.

The Act also provides that  private schools will reserve 25 pc seats  for children from poor families and prohibits donations or capitation fees.

We thus see that along with economic reforms that created a market economy, Dr Singh was not oblivious of the need of the role of the state in ensuring welfare of its citizens.

His political journey  began in 1971 when he was appointed as an Economic Advisor in the Ministry of Commerce. He later became Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) and Secretary in the Ministry of Finance.

From 1991 to 1996 he was the country’s Finance Minister, and that was the period that saw  a crucial turning point in India’s economy.

During this period, Singh’s bold reforms helped transform the country’s economy in the face of  an economic crisis. Among the major steps he took were devaluation of  the rupee, reduction of tax burdens, and attracting foreign investment etc..

He became India’s Prime Minister in 2004 when the  Congress’ won  the Lok Sabha elections, And his tenure as PM saw India making major strides in  economic field.