Patna: State tourism and industries minister Nitish Mishra paid tribute to former PM Manmohan Singh, recalling him as a “gem of a person” besides being an acclaimed economist and statesman. “My association with Singh goes back to the era of my uncle, former Union minister Lalit Narayan Mishra, who made him his chief advisor in the ministry of foreign trade,” Mishra said.
The minister expressed his admiration for Singh as an economist, particularly during the 1990s when the country entered the era of liberalization under the leadership of PV Narasimha Rao with Manmohan Singh as finance minister. “It was the period of the 90s, the heyday of liberalization, ushered in by the Narasimha Rao-led govt with Manmohan Singh as finance minister. He won accolades for his commendable work as an economist and helped bring the Indian economy back on track,” said Mishra. He added that his father, Jagannath Mishra, was a Union minister at the time, which helped his family develop close relations with Singh.
Mishra shared a personal anecdote, saying, “I also had the chance to meet him during my time as Bihar’s minister of disaster management during the Kosi floods in 2008. I received him at Purnia airport during his visit and he hugged me like a family member. He became emotional seeing the flood devastation and later announced a relief package of Rs 1,000 crore for the state.”
Mishra added, “I still fondly remember my last meeting with him in 2018 at his residence, where I accompanied my father to meet the great leader.”