Khazanah Nasional Berhad (“Khazanah”) is honoured by the presence of His Excellency Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, who will deliver a lecture under the prestigious Khazanah Global Lectures (“KGL”) banner, on 27th October 2010.

Dr. Manmohan is highly regarded for his contribution towards India’s economic reform and his lecture is aptly titled “India’s development experience”.

“We’re indeed privileged that His Excellency Dr. Manmohan has graciously accepted our invitation to share his insights and experience at the 8th KGL this year. An economist by training, Dr Manmohan is credited with initiating the reforms that unleashed India’s economic potential,” said Khazanah Research & Investment Strategy Executive Director Dr. Nungsari Ahmad Radhi.

He added: “The reforms took place in the world’s largest democracy, too. India took forty years after Independence to double its per capita income, it subsequently took twenty years to double it again. It is now well on its way at doubling its per capita income in half the time yet again.”

A former academic and bureaucrat, Dr Manmohan took over as India’s Finance Minister in 1991 when the country was facing financial crisis. He launched an ambitious and unprecedented economic reform programme that included removing red tape, simplifying tax system and slashing stifling controls and regulations. He was quoted as saying the reforms were a way of “doing the things which many people before us have thought and said should be done, but somehow were never done.”

Dr. Manmohan attended the Panjab University, Cambridge University and the University of Oxford. He
taught economics in universities in India and abroad, including the well known Delhi School of Economics and Oxford. He was listed among the 100 most influential people in the world in 2010 by TIME magazine while Newsweek listed him as one of the 10 World Leaders and described Dr. Manmohan as “the leader other leaders love”. Last month, Dr. Manmohan was honoured with the 2010 World Statesman Award by US-based interfaith coalition Appeal of Conscience Foundation for his vision and integrity.

KGL is a platform for influential global leaders and thinkers to share their thoughts, beliefs and ideas. Past speakers include Sir John Bond, YABhg. Tun Abdullah Hj. Ahmad Badawi, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Carlos Ghosn, Prof. Joseph E. Stiglitz, Kofi Annan and Prof. Muhammad Yunus.

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