Shaktikanta Das, the former governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has been appointed as the ‘Principal Secretary-2’ to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shri Shaktikanta Das, IAS (Retired) as Principal Secretary-2 to Prime Minister with effect from the date he assumes the office,” said a central government circular.
His appointment will be “co-terminus” with the term of the prime minister or until further orders, it added.
Shaktikanta Das, who remained RBI’s governor for six years, demitted office in December last year. Sanjay Malhotra took charge as the 26th governor of the apex bank.
Who is Shaktikanta Das?
Shaktikanta Das, 67, is a career diplomat. He became the RBI governor in 2018 after Urjit Patel abruptly resigned.
A 1980-batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS officer, Das, holds a master’s degree in history from Delhi’s St Stephen’s College and a postgraduate degree in public administration from the University of Birmingham.
He was the economic affairs secretary when the government scrapped high-value currency notes in November 2016.
Also read: In Shaktikanta Das’ farewell message, a ‘big thank you’ to ‘Team RBI’
Das played a key role when multiple indirect taxes were merged into one GST, which came into effect on July 1, 2017.
As the governor of the apex bank, Das is credited with navigating the country through the coronavirus pandemic that upended the world’s economy by severely crippling supply chains. He faced challenging times in managing the disruptions caused by the lockdown.
His tenure as the RBI governor was extended for three years in 2021.
Das joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1980. He has served as the Secretary of the Department of Revenue and Department of Economic Affairs. Post-retirement, he was appointed as a Member of the 15th Finance Commission and G20 Sherpa of India.
With inputs from PTI