Cutting across party lines, the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday paid tributes to former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and other members of the House who passed away in the recent past.
“It is due to his farsightedness and vision that Himachal Pradesh got several prestigious institutions including Medical College Ner Chowk, IIT Mandi, IIIT Una, Kangra Central University, and NIFT,” Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said.
Dr Manmohan Singh has been honoured for his exemplary work as an economist, politician, and social worker by internationally renowned institutions, the Chief Minister added.
The former Prime Minister started MNREGA to create livelihoods, especially in rural areas. “It is Dr Manmohan Singh who started the practice of setting up technology-based institutions.
It is in recognition of his exemplary work that we have named the Himachal Pradesh Institute of Public Administration (HIPA) after DR Manmohan Singh,” Sukhu said.
The Chief Minister also remembered Dharamsala MLA and former MP Kishan Kapoor, who passed away recently.
Kapoor became a Member of the Assembly for the first time in 1990. “He will be remembered for selflessly serving the poor and downtrodden,” Sukhu said.
Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur also paid tributes to Dr Manmohan Singh, stating that he enjoyed impeccable integrity and was respected across the political spectrum. “Normally former Prime Ministers are politicians, but he was one Prime Minister who held prestigious posts of RBI Chairman, Economic Advisor, Finance Minister, and then as Prime Minister,” said Thakur.
Dr Manmohan Singh was a very humble, down-to-earth, and modest person who remained Prime Minister for 10 years and was honoured by globally acclaimed institutions worldwide, Thakur added.
Paying tributes to Kapoor, Thakur said he remained an MLA for five terms and Lok Sabha MP from Kangra, winning by a record margin.
“Kapoor was a leader with a clean image and never hesitated to speak his mind,” Thakur said.
Other members of the House also paid tributes to the former Prime Minister and the Dharamsala MLA.
