Ex-German chancellor Angela Merkel to deliver first Manmohan Singh Memorial Lecture

Former German chancellor Angela Merkel will deliver the first Dr Manmohan Singh Memorial Lecture in the national capital on February 26, sources said here on Thursday. The lecture is being organised by the Dr Manmohan Singh Trust. Merkel, who shared good ties with the former prime minister, will deliver the inaugural lecture series in memory of Singh. She will speak on ''Germany and India in times of global change''. Singh, considered the architect of India's economic reforms and a consensus builder in the rough world of politics, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, on December 26, 2024. He was 92. Manmohan Singh steered the country as prime minister for 10 years from 2004-2014 and helped set up the country's economic framework as finance minister. He was also a renowned name in the global financial and economic sectors. The memorial trust was established by the family of the former prime minister to oversee the construction of his memorial at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal. The government has earmarked a plot next to former president Pranab Mukherjee's memorial and a Rs 25 lakh grant to the trust.