Bengaluru (National Times): In a significant tribute to one of India’s most respected statesmen, the Karnataka Cabinet on Wednesday approved the renaming of Bengaluru City University to “Dr Manmohan Singh City University.” The decision, taken at a Cabinet meeting held in Nandi Hills, honours the late former Prime Minister’s lasting legacy and his transformative role in India’s economic history.
This marks the first university in India to be named after Dr Manmohan Singh, who passed away on December 26, 2024, at the age of 92. The move fulfills a promise made by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in his state budget speech on March 7, 2025, where he vowed to rename the university in recognition of Singh’s contributions to India’s development.
Originally established in 2017 as Bengaluru Central University and renamed Bengaluru City University in 2020, the state-run institution is now set for another identity change under the Congress-led government. The Cabinet has also decided to bring Government Arts College and Government RC College under the university’s umbrella as constituent colleges, further expanding its academic reach.
The renaming is part of a broader state-led initiative to memorialize the late Prime Minister. The state government also cleared proposals to rename Bengaluru Rural district as Bengaluru North, and Bagepalli taluk will now be known as Baghyanagara.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who had earlier announced plans to create a research and study centre dedicated to Dr Singh’s work at Bangalore University, reiterated the importance of preserving Singh’s intellectual and policy legacy. Speaking in Belagavi shortly after Singh’s death, Shivakumar had said, “Though Manmohan Singh is no more, he is still alive through his contributions to the nation. His legacy cannot be altered.”
The planned centre aims to educate students about Dr Singh’s pivotal role in India’s 1991 economic liberalisation, a period that dramatically reshaped the country’s fiscal policy, trade, and global economic standing. The late Prime Minister, who served from 2004 to 2014, is remembered as a visionary economist and policy architect, whose reforms laid the foundation for India’s rise as an emerging global power.
Political observers view the renaming as both a symbolic and educational gesture, ensuring future generations are aware of Dr Singh’s enduring impact on the nation. The initiative is expected to culminate with a formal rechristening ceremony later this year.
