Dr.Manmohan Singh : History making PM

History would be kind to Dr.Manmohan Singh as he himself hoped while signig off as PM in 2014.He opened India to the world as Indian Express Newspaper has headlined his passing away and walking into history.
As PM he has made his mark and set up more than one  milestone and will be remembered by a grateful  nation for a long time.
My own  memory recalls  two brief meetings with him ,which have left an indelible mark in my mind.As Desert Development Commissioner at  Jodhpur way back in 1986 I met him while sharing a dais with him at CAZRI Institute (Central Arid Zone Research Institute )when Dr Singh chaired a discussion  on the role of CAZRI in furthering  research in finding solutions to prevent  desertification and for greening vast arid areas.Dr Singh was  then Member ,Planning  Commission.The formal handshake at stage and luncheon meeting  that day reminds me of the greatness and simplicity of Dr.Manmohan Singh 

In another meeting in 1993  of State Governments at Shram Shakti Bhawan, New Delhi ,Dr.Singh as FM India addressed Irrigation and Finance Secretaries  of the States which were required ro share the cost of Sardar Sarovar project on Narmada close to which now we have the mega tourist  destination with tall Statue of Unity that is ,of our great leader -  indomitable Sardar Patel.
Probably, I was saved from his palpable dissatisfaction with Rajasthan's inability to pay half of 2PC cost by that time amounting to Rs 8 crores.He asked for Finance  Secretary and Inderjit Khanna my batchmate who was invited along with me had to bear the brunt. Inderjit  could hardly begin to speak about State's financial position because Dr Singh interrupted him and bluntly asked  him to pay the due instalment at the earliest. Inderjit  sat down without further attempt to speak.This meeting reflected  the  firm and forthright manner of Dr Singh's functioning.


With this blog  I pay my humble  tribute Dr.Manmohan Singh, a great son of India and a historic figure. 
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