The family of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has formally given its consent to the government for the creation of his memorial at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, which is a complex of samadhis near Delhi’s Raj Ghat. The memorial will be built on a 900 square meter plot that lies at the heart of the memorial ground.
The decision follows a recent visit to the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal by Singh’s family members, after which his wife, Gursharan Kaur, sent an official acceptance letter to the government. Last week, Singh’s daughters, Upinder Singh and Daman Singh, along with their spouses, inspected the proposed plot.
According to sources, the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal now has only two unoccupied plots left. One of them was offered to the family of former President Pranab Mukherjee earlier this year. The second, measuring 900 square meters, has now been accepted by Singh’s family for his memorial.
According to a report in The Indian Express, Upinder Singh confirmed the development, adding that they have already submitted the formal acceptance. “The land is to be allotted to a Trust and we will shortly set that up. The stipulation is that we can apply for a one-time grant of up to Rs 25 lakh for the construction of the memorial,” she said.
All about Rashtriya Smriti Sthal complex
The Rashtriya Smriti Sthal complex houses nine samadhis, all designed in a similar architectural style. The plot allocated to Dr Singh is situated with the samadhi of former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar in front, former President R Venkataraman behind, and those of Presidents Giani Zail Singh and Pranab Mukherjee on either side.
Ironically, it was during Dr Singh’s tenure as Prime Minister in 2013 that the Union Cabinet approved the creation of this “common memorial ground” to avoid further land allocation for individual samadhis. Now, his family has accepted what could be one of the final available plots in the complex.
Interestingly, Dr Singh’s last rites were not conducted at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal. Instead, his cremation took place at Nigambodh Ghat on the Yamuna’s banks on December 28 last year. Subsequently, the Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed that land would be allotted for his memorial, after receiving a formal request from the Congress.
In its statement, the Ministry said, “…it has been communicated to 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.”