Context: The Central Government has initiated the process to build a memorial for former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. He was cremated at the Nigam Bodh Ghat in New Delhi.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about guidelines related to Memorials.
Major Highlights:
- The Former Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh passed away on December 26, 2024. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) declared seven days of State mourning and announced a state funeral for the dignitary.
- He was cremated at the Nigambodh Ghat in Central Delhi (a common cremation place), a first for any former PM.
Is there a rule related to Memorials?
- While guidelines exist for State funerals, there is no specific rule or government order regarding allocation of space for memorials for former PMs.
- The convention is that former PMs have been cremated at designated places.
- Dr. Singh was cremated at a common place of cremation (where even a common man could be cremated).
Trends in the Past:
- Except Former PM Vishwanath Pratap Singh, all other former PMs have memorials dedicated to them, majorly in Delhi and other parts of the country. E.g.,
- Jawaharlal Nehru’s memorial: Shanti Vana (Delhi)
- Lal Bahadur Shastri’s memorial: Vijay Ghat (Delhi)
- Charan Singh’s memorial: Kisan Ghat (Delhi)
- Indira Gandhi’s memorial: Shakti Sthal (Delhi)
- Rajiv Gandhi’s memorial: Vir Bhumi (Delhi)
- P. V. Narasimha Rao’s memorial: Ekta Sthal (Delhi)
- Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s memorial: Rashtriya Smriti Sthal (Delhi)
- In 2013, due to paucity of space, the Congress government decided that all memorials will be built at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal.
Who maintains the Memorials?
- The memorials of various personalities are maintained by the respective State Governments and local municipalities.
- The Central Government through the Ministry of Urban Development is looking after the upkeep and maintenance of:
- Samadhis adjacent to Rajghat, New Delhi
- Morarji Desai’s Samadhi at Abhay Ghat at Ahmedabad
- Rajiv Gandhi Memorial at Sriperumbudur (Tamil Nadu).