First term (2004–2009) A. P. J. Abdul Kalam authorising the Prime Minister designate Manmohan Singh to form the next Government in New Delhi on 19 May 2004 After the
2004 general elections, the Indian National Congress ended the incumbent
National Democratic Alliance (NDA) tenure by becoming the political party with the single largest number of seats in the
Lok Sabha. It formed
United Progressive Alliance (UPA) with allies and staked claim to form government. In a surprise move, Chairperson
Sonia Gandhi declared Manmohan Singh, a
technocrat, as the UPA candidate for the prime ministership. Despite the fact that Singh had never won a direct popular election, according to the
BBC, he "enjoyed massive popular support, not least because he was seen by many as a clean politician untouched by the taint of corruption that has run through many Indian administrations." He took the oath as the prime minister of India on 22 May 2004. Singh was the fourth PM to be from the
Rajya Sabha, following
Indira Gandhi (January 1966 - March 1967),
H. D. Deve Gowda (June 1996 - April 1997) and
Inder Kumar Gujral (April 1997- March 1998).
Economic policy In 1991, Singh, as finance minister, abolished the
Licence Raj, source of slow economic growth and
corruption in the Indian economy for decades. He liberalised the Indian economy, allowing it to speed up development dramatically. During his term as prime minister, Singh continued to encourage growth in the Indian market, enjoying widespread success in these matters. Singh, along with his finance minister,
P. Chidambaram, presided over a period where the Indian economy grew with an 8–9% economic growth rate. In 2007, India achieved its highest GDP growth rate of 9% and became the second
fastest growing major economy in the world. Singh's ministry enacted a
National Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 2005. Singh's government continued the
Golden Quadrilateral and the highway modernisation program that was initiated by
Vajpayee's government. Singh also worked on reforming the banking and financial sectors, as well as public sector companies. The Finance ministry worked towards relieving farmers of their debt and worked towards pro-industry policies. In 2005, Singh's government introduced the
value added tax, replacing
sales tax. In 2007 and early 2008, the
Great Recession impacted India.
Healthcare and education In 2005, Prime Minister Singh and his government's health ministry started the
National Rural Health Mission (NHRM), which mobilised half a million community health workers. This rural health initiative was praised by the American economist
Jeffrey Sachs. In 2006, his Government implemented the proposal to reserve 27% of seats in All India Institute of Medical Studies (AIIMS), Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other central institutions of higher education for Other Backward Classes which led to
2006 Indian anti-reservation protests. On 2 July 2009, Singh ministry introduced the
Right to Education Act (RTE) act. Eight
IITs were opened in the states of
Andhra Pradesh, Bihar,
Gujarat, Orissa,
Punjab, Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan and
Himachal Pradesh. The Singh government also continued the
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan program. The program includes the introduction and improvement of mid-day meals and the opening of schools all over India, especially in rural areas, to fight
illiteracy.
Home affairs Singh's government strengthened anti-terror laws with amendments to
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
National Investigation Agency (NIA) was also created soon after the
2008 Mumbai terror attacks, as need for a central agency to combat terrorism was realised. Also,
Unique Identification Authority of India was established in February 2009, an agency responsible for implementing the envisioned
Multipurpose National Identity Card with the objective of increasing national security and facilitating e-governance. in August 2008 Singh's administration initiated a massive reconstruction effort in
Kashmir to stabilise the region but after some period of success, insurgent infiltration and terrorism in Kashmir has increased since 2009. In 2005, he controversially apologised on behalf of the
Indian National Congress for the bloodshed during the
1984 anti-Sikh riots in a speech to Parliament.
Notable legislation The important
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and the
Right to Information Act were passed by the
Parliament in 2005 during his tenure. While the effectiveness of the NREGA has been successful at various degrees, in various regions, the RTI act has proved crucial in India's fight against corruption. New cash benefits were also introduced for widows, pregnant women, and landless persons.
The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 was passed on 29 August 2013 in the
Lok Sabha (lower house of the Indian parliament) and on 4 September 2013 in
Rajya Sabha (upper house of the Indian parliament). The bill received the assent of the
president of India,
Pranab Mukherjee on 27 September 2013. The Act came into force from 1 January 2014.
Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act was enacted on 4 August 2009, which describes the modalities of the importance of free and compulsory education for children between 6 and 14 in India under Article 21A of the
Indian Constitution. India became one of 135 countries to make
education a fundamental right of every child when the act came into force on 1 April 2010.
Foreign policy Manmohan Singh continued the
pragmatic foreign policy that was started by
P.V. Narasimha Rao and continued by
Bharatiya Janata Party's
Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Singh continued the
peace process with Pakistan initiated by his predecessor, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Exchange of high-level visits by top leaders from both countries have highlighted his tenure. Efforts have been made during Singh's tenure to end the border dispute with
People's Republic of China. In November 2006, Chinese president
Hu Jintao visited India which was followed by Singh's visit to Beijing in January 2008. A major development in
Sino-Indian relations was the reopening of the
Nathula Pass in 2006 after being closed for more than four decades.
Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China,
Li Keqiang paid a state visit to India (
Delhi-
Mumbai) from 19 to 21 May 2013.
Relations with Afghanistan have improved considerably, with India now becoming the largest regional donor to Afghanistan. During Afghan President
Hamid Karzai's visit to New Delhi in August 2008, Manmohan Singh increased the aid package to Afghanistan for the development of more schools, health clinics, infrastructure, and defence. Under the leadership of Singh, India emerged as one of the single largest aid donors to Afghanistan. Singh had the first official state visit to the White House during the administration of US president
Barack Obama. The visit took place in November 2009, and several discussions took place, including on trade and nuclear power. Relations improved with Japan and
European Union countries, like the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. Relations with Iran continued and negotiations over the
Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline have taken place. New Delhi hosted an India–Africa Summit in April 2006 which was attended by the leaders of 15 African states. Relations have improved with other developing countries, particularly Brazil and South Africa. Singh carried forward the momentum which was established after the "Brasilia Declaration" in 2003 and the
IBSA Dialogue Forum was formed. Singh's government was especially keen on
expanding ties with Israel. From 2003, the two countries made significant investments in each other, making Israel a rival to Russia to become India's largest defence partner. Though there have been a few diplomatic glitches between India and Russia, especially over the delay and price hike of several Russian weapons to be delivered to India, relations between the two remained strong with India and Russia signing various agreements to increase defence, nuclear energy and space co-operation. During the
Libyan Civil War, India abstained from voting on the
UN Security Council's Resolutions 1970 and 1973 that authorised
NATO action in Libya. In Lok Sabha, resolution was unanimously adopted to condemn
NATO's military intervention in Libya. In 2009, Singh was among the leaders who laid the foundation of the
BRICS. The establishment of the group is often described as a display of emergent economic power. Singh criticised the West for the use of force to enforce regime change in Syria and Libya during his speech at the UN in September 2011. India was silent over the killing of Gaddafi. Although India was among the last few countries to recognise the Libyan National Transitional Council, it agreed to work with the Council to help rebuild Libya. India resent an ambassador to Tripoli in July 2012 having shut its mission in Tripoli in 2011.
Second term (2009–2014) in March 2010 in May 2013 India held general
elections to the 15th Lok Sabha in five phases between 16 April 2009 and 13 May 2009. The results of the election were announced on 16 May 2009. Strong showing in
Andhra Pradesh,
Rajasthan,
Maharashtra,
Tamil Nadu,
Kerala,
West Bengal and
Uttar Pradesh helped the
United Progressive Alliance (UPA) form the new government under the incumbent Singh, who became the first prime minister since
Jawaharlal Nehru in
1962 to win re-election after completing a full five-year term. On 22 May 2009, Manmohan Singh was sworn in as the prime minister during a ceremony held at
Rashtrapati Bhavan. In his second term, Singh's government was involved in political scandals such as the
2G spectrum case and the
Commonwealth Games scandal. Singh declined to appear before a
Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) in April 2013 when called upon by one of the members of JPC
Yashwant Sinha for his alleged involvement in the 2G case. In 2017, all of the accused were acquitted in the 2G case. Following this verdict, the Congress stated the "BJP has been exposed for its untruth and propaganda against Congress," and urged
Narendra Modi and
Arun Jaitley "to apologise to the nation". Following the
2012 Delhi gang rape and murder, Singh appealed for calm, stressing that "violence will serve no purpose". In a televised address, he assured that all possible efforts would be made to ensure the safety of women in India. Singh expressed empathy, saying: "As a father of three daughters I feel as strongly about the incident as each one of you". The 2012 report filed by the CAG in Parliament of India states that due to the allocation of coal blocks to certain private companies without bidding process the nation suffered an estimated loss of Rs 1.85trillion (
short scale) between 2005 and 2009 in which Manmohan Singh was the coal minister of India. Singh's government had an approval rating of 30% by 2013. == Post-premiership (2014–2024) ==