New Delhi: While expressing grief over the demise of social worker and Padma Shri awardee Baba Iqbal Singh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind took to social media and expressed their condolences.
Baba Iqbal Singh, who was in charge of Kalgidhar Trust, died on Saturday at the age of 96 years at Baru Sahib in Sirmaur district.
PM Modi today wrote on his official Twitter handle saying, "Pained by the passing away of Baba Iqbal Singh Ji. He will be remembered for his efforts to increase education among youngsters. He tirelessly worked towards furthering social empowerment. My thoughts are with his family and admirers in this sad hour. May Waheguru bless his soul".
Meanwhile, President also took to his social media and wrote, "Deeply saddened by the demise of Iqbal Singh, who made a remarkable contribution in the field of education, medicine, and social service".
"In recognition of his services, he was selected for the Padma Shri in the year 2022. deepest My condolences to his family and followers," he tweeted in Hindi.
Who was Baba Iqbal Singh?
Baba Iqbal Singh was a retired director of agriculture in the Himachal Pradesh government in 1986. And after that, he started a school on the foothills of Baru Sahib in the state named Akal Academy.
In beginning, the school had five students and now it has a chain of 129 CBSE affiliated English medium schools. He also set up two private universities which now have around 70,000 rural students.
He also worked for the cause of women's empowerment in rural areas after establishing educational institutions dedicated to women, teachers' training programs, and employment centers within the villages.