Manmohan Singh

Dr. Manmohan Singh was elected Prime Minister of India in 2004, following the electoral victory of the Indian National Congress. As a Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to hold the position. Trained as an economist, he is best known for his work as finance minister under Prime Minister Narasimha Rao from 1991 to 1996; he had been a chief economic adviser in the Ministry of Finance since 1972. Singh is credited with having transformed the Indian economy during a financial crisis by implementing key economic reforms that laid the foundation for an economic boom. Between 1991 and 2004, Dr. Singh served in Parliament. As prime minister, Singh's stated goals include improving the situation of India's poor, mending relations with Pakistan, and promoting peaceful and cooperative interaction among India's religious groups. Singh holds an undergraduate degree from Cambridge University and Ph.D from Oxford University.