Former RBI governor Shaktikanta Das appointed as principal secretary to PM

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Saturday appointed former RBI governor Shaktikanta Das as principal secretary-2 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PK Mishra is currently principal secretary to the prime minister.

Das’ appointment will be co-terminus with the term of the prime minister or until further orders, whichever is earlier, the appointments committee of the Cabinet says.

Das was at the helm of RBI from December 2018 to December 2024. In 2021, he was reappointed as the RBI governor for a period of three years. A 1980-batch IAS officer, Das has served as the revenue secretary and department of economic affairs secretary.

Before he assumed charge as the 25th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India effective December 12, 2018, he was acting as member, 15th Finance Commission and G20 Sherpa of India.

Das has vast experience in various areas of governance for over four decades. Das has held important positions in the Central and State Governments in the areas of finance, taxation, industries, infrastructure, etc.

During his long tenure in the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, he was directly associated with the preparation of as many as 8 Union Budgets. Das has 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). He has represented India in international fora like the IMF, G20, BRICS, SAARC, etc.

Das is a postgraduate from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University.

In October 2024, Central Bank Report Card 2024 awarded Das with A+ grade for the second consecutive year by Global Finance. Global Finance, since 1994, has been publishing the Central Bank Report Cards annually. It grades central bank governors from about 100 key countries. The evaluation for the grades is done on the basis parameters such as inflation control, economic growth, currency stability and interest rate management.