Decorated civil servant & spearhead of key Modi govt initiatives, Amitabh Kant resigns as G20 Sherpa
In a post on social media platform 'X' and LinkedIn, Kant said that he was deeply grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for accepting his resignation as India's G20 Sherpa and for the trust he placed in him to drive developmental initiatives that shaped India's growth trajectory.
Kant told ThePrint that he would announce his future role soon. 'It was a fascinating experience… very unique. No institution could have provided me this kind of opportunity and experience,' Kant said about his 45-year stint in the government.
On his future plans, Kant wrote, 'I now look forward to contributing to India's transformational journey towards Viksit Bharat (developed India) by facilitating and supporting free enterprise, startups, think tanks, and academic institutions.'
Though Kant retired from the IAS in 2016, he has held high profile posts since then. He was appointed CEO of federal think tank NITI Aayog soon after he retired in 2016 for a two-year term. His dynamism at NITI Aayog in spearheading some of the Modi government's flagship initiatives like the Aspirational Districts Programme ensured that he got two extensions at the helm. But he was roped in again by the PM soon after his tenure ended in NITI Aayog. He was named India's G20 Sherpa, a position which he said was both challenging and one of his most memorable experiences in the 45 years of working with the government.
'It was a defining moment when amidst the geopolitical challenges, we achieved a unanimous consensus on the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration from all the G20 heads,' Kant told ThePrint.
He wrote about the challenges he faced as a Sherpa in adopting a consensus declaration in his book How India Scaled Mt G20: The Inside Story of the G20 Presidency. 'The text continued to face constant revisions and objections after 300 hours of negotiations over 250 bilateral meetings… PM Modi was acutely aware of the stakes involved. He had asked me to send him urgent situation reports every two hours, a task that demanded immense multitasking and quick analysis. This constant communication kept PM Modi informed, but also spurred us into action, helping us map out the negotiations and take stock of our progress,' he wrote in the book.
Prior to his appointment as G20 Sherpa, Kant held another challenging role as the CEO of NITI Aayog in 2016 soon after his retirement. He launched the Aspirational Districts programme in 2018 to transform 115 of the most backward districts of India across 28 states. 'Through the programme we transformed the lives of the poorest and under-served,' he said.
The programme aims to improve socio-economic indicators in five major areas—health and nutrition, education, agriculture, drinking water and sanitation, financial inclusion, basic infrastructure and overall social development—across 329 of the most under-developed districts of India.
He was also involved in some of the other big ticket initiatives of the government at NITI Aayog, like laying the foundation for India's digital public infrastructure and implementing the PLI scheme to boost manufacturing and exports.
Transforming Calicut to God's Own Country campaign
His diligence was evident from the time he was the collector of Kozhikode, also known as Calicut, and took up the challenge of transforming the largest urban area in the Malabar coast, where Vasco Da Gama landed in May 1498 as part of a trade mission from Portugal.
'Calicut had encroachments all around… the infrastructure was crumbling. It had a decrepit look. There was a running joke that what Vasco Da Gama could not do, the Calicut collector will,' Kant recalled.
He took up the challenging task and transformed the city in a short period. 'We got the encroachments removed, upgraded the civic infrastructure–be it reviving the Mananchaira Maidam or expanding the Calicut airport. I also worked with the traditional fishermen to transform their lives by introducing them to new technology,' he told ThePrint.
Kant was also the brain behind the 'God's Own Country' campaign to promote Kerala as a must-visit tourist destination. Later as tourism secretary at the Centre, he was behind the 'Incredible India' campaign.
Prolific career at the Centre
As industries secretary, he led the government initiatives such as 'Ease of Doing Business', 'Make in India' and 'Start Up India' to promote manufacturing and create jobs.
He was also the CEO of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation. It was during his tenure that the plan to develop seven greenfield industrial cities including Dholera was rolled out.
His post retirement stint in NITI Aayog saw the release of a number of indices including the School Education and Quality Index and the Multidimensional Poverty Index. At NITI Aayog, he established India's National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage, which is responsible for driving the uptake of clean mobility in the country. The mission evolved policies and interventions which supported millions of citizens and hundreds of government agencies across the country to make the switch to electric mobility.
A Delhi boy, Kant did his schooling from Modern School and graduated in Economics from St. Stephens college. He followed it up with a masters from Jawaharlal Nehru University before getting selected for the IAS. Extremely suave and dynamic, Kant was known to be close to PM Modi.
He has authored several books including Branding India-An Incredible Story.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: G20 India leaders' declaration nearly failed. A non-negotiable plan saved it: Amitabh Kant
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Evening news wrap: PM Modi calls for de-escalation in call with Iran's President; Tehran vows to continue nuclear push after US strikes; & more
PM Modi urged peace in a call with Iran's president after US airstrikes hit Iranian nuclear sites. Iran condemned the US strikes as a 'savage assault' and vowed to continue its nuclear programme. Meanwhile, an Air India flight was diverted to Riyadh following a bomb threat but landed safely and cleared checks. Here are the top 5 stories that made headlines today: PM Modi urges de-escalation in call with Iranian president after US bombs nuclear sites. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday after US airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. Modi stressed the need for 'immediate de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy' as tensions in the Middle East entered the tenth day. The 45-minute call came after the US bombed key nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, escalating tensions in the region. Read full story. Tehran slams Washington for 'savage assault' and refuses to halt nuclear programme. Iran on Sunday condemned the US bombing of its nuclear sites as a 'savage assault', vowing to continue its nuclear programme despite the attacks. US President Donald Trump confirmed the strikes were carried out using B-2 stealth bombers on three facilities. Iran's atomic energy agency confirmed the strikes, but did not detail the extent of the damage. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Run Your Business Like a Pro - Top Trending Accounting Software (Check Now) Accounting ERP Click Here Undo Read full story. Bomb threat diverts Air India flight to Riyadh An Air India flight from Birmingham to Delhi was diverted to Riyadh on Saturday after a bomb threat, according to an airline spokesperson. The plane, Flight AI114 landed safely and underwent full security checks. This incident follows a series of aviation troubles, including a technical snag that grounded an IndiGo flight on Friday. Authorities are on high alert, and passenger safety remains a top priority. Read full story. Indore property dealer held in Shillong murder case Silom James, a property dealer from Indore, was arrested late Saturday in connection with the murder of Raja Raghuwanshi in Shillong. Police say James removed cash, a pistol, and jewellery from a flat used by the victim and his associate Sonam. CCTV footage shows James retrieving a bag from the flat and later installing cameras allegedly to cover his tracks. Read full story. Actor Vijay Devarakonda booked under SC/ST Act, over alleged anti-tribal comments Actor Vijay Devarakonda has been booked under the SC/ST Act for allegedly making offensive comments about tribal communities during a film event in April. The complaint, filed by Ashok Rathod of the Joint Action Committee of Tribal Communities, claims the remarks were made at a promotional event for the film Retro. The case was formally registered on June 17. Read full story.
Hans India
2 hours ago
- Hans India
Last 10 years have seen poor youths getting selected for top Civil Services jobs: Jitendra Singh
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said that the last 11 years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have seen a democratisation of India's Civil Services with youths from poor families and remote areas getting selected for the country's top jobs and realising their aspirations. In an interview to Doordarshan News, the minister said that while at one time, the IAS and Civil Services were confined only to a handful of States like Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Kerala etc, today, we get toppers from the States which earlier hardly figured in the civil services list toppers from Punjab, Haryana and J&K. He cited the case of Parsanjit Kour, the young girl from Poonch, a border district in J&K, who made it to All India Rank 11 in the Civil Services Exam of 2022 in very first attempt or the boy from Punjab, Anmol Sher Singh Bedi who got All India Rank 2 in the Civil Services Exam of 2016. This, the Minister said, has restored faith in the objectivity and equal opportunity offered by the system and, thus, also led to democratisation of youth aspiration. 'This is the true essence of democracy -- where every mother, regardless of her socio-economic standing, has the confidence to believe that her child can reach the top," said Dr Jitendra Singh. The Minister said that the 11 years have been nothing short of transformational for India. 'What generations longed for over decades has been made possible in just over a decade,' he stated, adding that PM Modi has wiped the tears of the past and replaced them with eyes full of hope and future aspirations. Each passing year, the Minister said, has marked a new milestone -- be it in infrastructure, governance, technology, or youth empowerment -- creating unprecedented opportunities for every Indian. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh, stated that under PM Modi's leadership, citizens' self-esteem has been restored. Referring to the PM's historic 2016 call of "Start-Up India, Stand-Up India", he emphasised how it broadened the employment horizon beyond traditional government jobs. 'It was only then people realised that job doesn't only mean "Sarkari Naukri", but also innovation, enterprise, and startups,' the Minister noted. India's biotech sector, he highlighted, is a perfect example -- growing from just 50 start-ups in 2014 to over 10,075 in 2024, with a leap in valuation from $10 billion to nearly $170 billion. He credited this to strong public-private partnerships and forward-thinking policies like Bio-E3 and the National Quantum Mission.
The Print
2 hours ago
- The Print
In phone conversation with Iran President Pezeshkian, PM Modi calls for de-escalation
In a social media post, Modi said he expressed 'deep concern' at the recent escalations and that dialogue and diplomacy are the way forward for early restoration of regional peace. The phone conversation between Modi and Pezeshkian came hours after the US bombed three major nuclear sites — Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan — in Iran, bringing itself into the Israel-Iran conflict. New Delhi, Jun 22 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday conveyed to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian India's 'deep concern' over Iran's conflict with Israel and called for immediate de-escalation of the situation through 'dialogue and diplomacy'. 'We discussed in detail about the current situation. Expressed deep concern at the recent escalations,' Modi said. 'Reiterated our call for immediate de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward and for early restoration of regional peace, security and stability,' the prime minister added. The US attack on the Iranian nuclear facilities triggered fears of a wider regional conflict, with many leading countries and blocs calling for restraint. Soon after American B-2 bombers struck the Iranian installations, US President Donald Trump said the Iranian nuclear facilities were 'completely and totally obliterated'. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US has committed a 'grave violation' of the UN Charter, international law and the nuclear non-proliferation treaty by attacking Iran's 'peaceful nuclear installations'. 'The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences. Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behaviour,' he said. Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, he said in a statement. The 27-nation European Union urged all sides to step back and return to the negotiating table. 'I urge all sides to step back, return to the negotiating table and prevent further escalation,' EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said. The EU foreign ministers will be discussing the situation on Monday. The UK and many other nations have also appealed for calm. However, China and Russia are yet to officially react to the unfolding situation arising out of the US bombing. PTI MPB RT This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
