Former Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das was on Saturday appointed as the second principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Presently, P.K. Mishra, a retired IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre is serving as the principal secretary to the prime minister.
Former RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, a retired IAS officer, appointed as Principal Secretary-2 to Prime Minister: Govt order. pic.twitter.com/QYDDQIfXY8
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 22, 2025
The tenure of Das (67), a retired IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, will be "co-terminus" with the term of the prime minister or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Das as principal secretary with effect from the date he assumes the office.
Das became RBI governor in 2018 after Urjit Patel's resignation. While serving as the RBI governor, Das lowerd the policy repo rate to a historic low of 4 per cent and kept the low-interest rate for nearly two years, which impacted during the lockdowns.
He holds a master's degree in history from St Stephen's College, Delhi and a postgraduate degree in public administration from the University of Birmingham.
He joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1980.
In November 2016, he was appointed the economic affairs secretary.
Das played a key role when multiple taxes were merged into one GST, which came into effect on July 1, 2017.
He steered the ship when the country was reeled under the Covid-19 pandemic. Das faced challenging times in managing the disruptions caused by the lockdown as well.
In 2021, Das's tenure as RBI governor was extended for three years.
Das has also served as the Secretary of the Department of Revenue and Department of Economic Affairs. After his RBI journey, he was appointed as a member of the 15th Finance Commission and G20 Sherpa of India.
