Statesman who transformed lives of ordinary people: KC Venugopal remembers Manmohan Singh

New Delhi [India], December 27 : Congress general secretary KC Venugopal on Friday remembered former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as one of the best statesmen of India who transformed the lives of ordinary people through policies initiated during his tenure as prime minister and finance minister.
"It is a very sad (day) for the country and Congress...He was one of the best administrators and statesmen of this country. He transformed the lives of the common people through various schemes like MGNREGA," Venugopal told reporters here.
"As far as Congress is concerned, we lost one of our great leaders. During his tenure as PM for 10 years and Finance Minister for 5 years, he demonstrated good governance...this is a great loss for the country," he added.
Manmohan Singh passed away at AIIMS, Delhi, on Thursday evening at the age of 92 due to age-related medical conditions. He had a sudden loss of consciousness at home after which he was rushed to the AIIMS Delhi.
Meanwhile, Congress sources said on Friday that the mortal remains of Manmohan Singh will be kept at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in Delhi for public viewing.
The party sources informed that the 'last darshan' will be scheduled for Saturday between 8:00 to 10:00 in the morning. All leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi will pay tribute to the former PM at the AICC office after which the last rites will be carried out.
Singh, renowned for introducing the 1991 economic liberalisation reforms as the Finance Minister of India, will be cremated near Rajghat, at the location where the last rites of Prime Ministers are performed.
Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on Friday morning said that the schedule for public viewing has not been finalised.
He said that the schedule for the last rites and public viewing would be finalised after the daughter of the former Prime Minister comes from abroad. The last rites might take place tomorrow, Dikshit added.
"The schedule has not been finalised. His daughter is coming from abroad and she will arrive in the afternoon or evening after that everything will be decided...the last rites might take place tomorrow...there is a delay due to the rains," Dikshit told ANI.
Several politicians and personalities from all walks of life have been expressing their sorrow over the demise of former PM Manmohan Singh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night condoled the demise of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying that India mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders.
Manmohan Singh was born on September 26, 1932. Apart from being an economist, Manmohan Singh served as Reserve Bank of India governor from 1982-1985. He was the 13th PM of India with his tenure from 2004-2014 and was the longest-serving PM after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.
Serving as the finance minister of India in PV Narasimha Rao's government, Singh has been given credit for economic liberalisation in the country in 1991. The reforms made the Indian economy more accessible to foreign investors, which increased FDI and reduced government control. It greatly contributed to the country's economic growth.
Manmohan Singh's government also introduced the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), which later came to be known as MGNREGA.
The Right to Information Act (RTI) was passed in 2005 under the Manmohan Singh government, which made the transparency of information between the government and the public better.
Dr Manmohan Singh retired from the Rajya Sabha earlier this year after serving for 33 years.