Former RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das Appointed Principal Secretary To PM Modi

Das' selection was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, with an order to this effect issued by the Department of Personnel Training on Saturday.

File photo of former RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das.

Source : ABPLIVE AI

Former Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das, a retired IAS officer, was on Saturday appointed the second Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

PK Mishra, a retired IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, is currently serving as the Principal Secretary to PM Modi. This is the first time that two persons will simultaneously serve as principal secretaries to the prime minister. 

"The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shri Shaktikanta Das, IAS (Retired) (TN:80) as Principal Secretary-2 to Prime Minister with effect from the date he assumes the office. His appointment will be co-terminus with the term of the Prime Minister or until further orders, whichever is earlier," a government order said.

Das' selection was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, with an order to this effect issued by the Department of Personnel Training on Saturday.

Both Shaktikanta Das and PK Mishra are from Odisha. 68-eight-year old Das has been a career civil servant with over 44 years of distinguished service, primarily in the areas of finance, taxation, investment and infrastructure.

During his tenure as economic affairs secretary in 2016, the Modi government had announced the demonetisation. Das played a key role when multiple indirect taxes were merged into one GST, which came into effect on July 1, 2017.

Post-retirement, he was appointed as a member of the 15th Finance Commission and G20 Sherpa of India. Das became the 25th governor of the RBI in 2018 after Urjit Patel resigned. Initially appointed for three years, his tenure was extended for a further period of three years in 2021.

Das is credited with navigating the RBI's economic policies through the Covid pandemic. As a key economic policymaker, he faced challenging times in managing the disruptions caused by the lockdown.

During his tenure, the RBI handed over the highest-ever dividend of Rs 2.11 lakh crore to the Centre for 2023-24. He was also conferred with the 'Central Bank Governor of the Year' award by Central Banking, UK. Das had also served as India's Alternate Governor in the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), New Development Bank (NDB) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).