Manmohan Singh’s memorial next to Pranab Mukherjee’s? Govt offers land to family

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

The government has reportedly offered the plot adjacent to former President Pranab Mukherjee’s memorial for the memorial of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who passed away in December last year at the age of 92.

Sources with the government told CNN-News18 that the government is awaiting the formation of a trust by Singh’s family, after which the land will be formally allocated to them.

Singh passed away due to age-related medical issues. He was cremated with full stated honours at Nigambodh Ghat in Delhi's Kashmere Gate in the presence of his family, friends as well as colleagues, and government dignitaries on December 28.

Manmohan Singh played a pivotal role in shaping India’s economic landscape. As Finance Minister in 1991, he spearheaded historic reforms that liberalised the economy. He later served as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014.

According to the sources, the government will allocate Rs 25 lakh to the trust for the construction of the memorial.

This development follows reports from last month indicating that the Centre had initiated the process of selecting a site for Singh’s memorial.

In January, officials from the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) surveyed areas near the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal and shortlisted potential locations for the memorial.

Singh’s family members have been invited to inspect the proposed site, but they have not visited it so far, according to a report by Times of India.

Last month, the government earmarked a designated site within the ‘Rashtriya Smriti’ complex, a part of the Rajghat precinct, for erecting a “samadhi” (memorial) of former President Pranab Mukherjee.

Mukherjee, who served as President of India from 2012 to 2017, breathed his last on August 31, 2020. He was 84 and held various important portfolios in successive Congress-led governments.