New Delhi (PTI): Former German chancellor Angela Merkel will deliver the first Dr Manmohan Singh Memorial Lecture in the national capital on February 26, sources said here on Thursday.

The lecture is being organised by the Dr Manmohan Singh Trust.

Merkel, who shared good ties with the former prime minister, will deliver the inaugural lecture series in memory of Singh. She will speak on "Germany and India in times of global change".

Singh, considered the architect of India's economic reforms and a consensus builder in the rough world of politics, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, on December 26, 2024. He was 92.

Manmohan Singh steered the country as prime minister for 10 years from 2004-2014 and helped set up the country's economic framework as finance minister. He was also a renowned name in the global financial and economic sectors.

The memorial trust was established by the family of the former prime minister to oversee the construction of his memorial at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal. The government has earmarked a plot next to former president Pranab Mukherjee's memorial and a Rs 25 lakh grant to the trust.

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Dhar (MP) (PTI): Twelve labourers were killed and 20 others injured when the pick-up van carrying them overturned and collided with an SUV in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday night, an official said.

The incident occurred at 8:30-9 PM. According to preliminary information, 35 labourers were returning home in a pickup van from Baggad in Dhar district when the driver lost control of the vehicle near Chikliya crossing. The vehicle overturned and collided with an SUV coming from the opposite direction.

"Twelve people died on the spot, while approximately 20 others were injured," said Dhar district's in-charge collector, Abhishek Choudhary.

The seriously injured persons were referred to Indore after initial treatment, he said.

Choudhary, DIG Mayank Awasthi, and police personnel rushed to the spot.

Tirla police have registered a case and are investigating the accident.