Manmohan Singh to be honoured with 7-day state mourning

The Union Home Ministry has announced that a seven-day state mourning will be observed throughout India in respect of the late former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on Thursday, 26 December 2024, after losing consciousness at his residence due to age-related ailments.

During this period of mourning, the national flag will be flown at half-mast across the country, and there will be no official entertainment. Singh's last rites will be performed on 28 December.

Additionally, Singh will be accorded a state funeral. A communication from the ministry was sent to all chief secretaries of states and union territories on Thursday, formally conveying this decision.

The Congress Party has cancelled all official programmes, including its foundation day celebrations, for the next seven days as a mark of respect for Manmohan Singh.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi visited Singh's residence on Thursday night to pay their respects following his passing.

Kharge and Rahul Gandhi had been in Belagavi for the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting but rushed to Delhi as soon as they received the news of Singh's demise. Their visit was a tribute to the late leader, who played a significant role in shaping India's economic policies.

Vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar's planned visit to Jammu on Friday has been rescheduled due to the state mourning declared by the central government following the passing of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Dhankhar was initially scheduled to address the convocation of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University.

His office confirmed that the programme had been "rescheduled" in light of the mourning period.

Meanwhile, on the second day of the fourth Test against Australia, the Indian cricket team wore black armbands as a mark of respect to the former PM.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the gesture, stating that the team wore black armbands to honour the memory of Singh, a renowned economist, who was the architect of India's 1991 economic reforms, which helped lift the country from the brink of bankruptcy and initiated a period of economic liberalisation, shaping India's modern economic trajectory.

With PTI inputs