Manmohan Singh’s family approves memorial site at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal

The family of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has given written approval for his memorial at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal near Rajghat in Delhi. Singh, who passed away on December 26, 2024, was cremated at Nigambodh Ghat on December 28, instead of Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, where former Presidents and Prime Ministers have been traditionally laid to rest. The Congress had requested a dedicated memorial space, which the government has now approved.

The memorial will be built on a 900 sq m plot located between the samadhis of former Prime Ministers and Presidents, including Chandra Shekhar, R Venkataraman, Giani Zail Singh, and Pranab Mukherjee. Singh’s daughters, Upinder Singh and Daman Singh, along with their spouses, visited the site before his wife, Gursharan Kaur, sent a formal acceptance letter to the government. The land will be allotted to a trust, which will oversee the memorial's construction.

The Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed the approval, stating, "It has been communicated to the Congress President and the family of the late Dr Manmohan Singh that the Government will allocate space for the memorial. In the meanwhile, cremation and other formalities can happen because a trust has to be formed and space has to be allocated to it." The Union housing and urban affairs ministry’s land and development office will handle the land allotment, while the Central Public Works Department will be responsible for construction.

The memorial will follow the uniform architectural design of the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal complex, which consists of nine samadhi sites. According to government norms, the trust managing the memorial can apply for a one-time grant of up to ₹25 lakh for its construction. A 2013 Cabinet decision under Singh’s government had established Rashtriya Smriti Sthal as a common memorial site to prevent individual memorials across Delhi.

With only two vacant plots remaining at the complex, the other having been offered to former President Pranab Mukherjee’s family in January 2025, Singh’s memorial will be among the last to be constructed at the site. The approval ensures that the legacy of India’s 13th Prime Minister is honored alongside other national leaders.