Shaktikanta Das: Veteran bureaucrat who helmed RBI through Covid-19

New Delhi: Veteran bureaucrat Shaktikanta Das, who was appointed a primary aide to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has the distinction of steering India’s central bank through the Covid-19 crisis and its aftermath.

Das, an IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre’s 1980 batch, also has been involved in the Narendra Modi government’s economic and diplomatic policy-making.

He has served as the Economic Affairs Secretary in the Union Finance Ministry in 2016.

Prior to taking over as RBI Governor in December 2018, Das also served as India’s Sherpa to the G20 for over a year from November 2017.

Born on February 26, 1957, in Bhubaneswar in Odisha, Das has vast experience in various areas of governance over four decades. He has held important positions in the central and state governments in the areas of finance, taxation, industries, infrastructure, etc.

He steered the central bank’s pandemic response through several conventional, unconventional, and innovative policy measures spanning monetary policy, liquidity conditions, and regulatory policies to preserve financial stability while mitigating the adverse effects of the pandemic on the economy.

During his career as an IAS officer in the centre, Das also served as the Fertilizers Secretary. He has also served as India’s Alternate Governor in the World Bank, ADB, NDB & AIIB.

He has also represented India in various international forums like the IMF, G20, BRICS, SAARC, etc.

Das was schooled at the Demonstration Multipurpose School, Bhubaneswar, and then obtained bachelor’s (BA) and master’s degrees (MA) in history from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi.

He was also awarded a D. Litt. by Utkal University in 2021.

Das also had a stint with Mahindra Industrial Park Ltd (Mahindra World City), on deputation to a private sector company under Rule 6(2)(ii) of the Indian Administrative Service (Cadre) Rules, 1954.

He was appointed Union Revenue Secretary by the prime minister-led-Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) in June 2014, he assumed the office of Secretary on 16 June 2014 and demitted it on 31 August 2015.

He was conferred the ‘Central Banker of the Year, Asia-Pacific 2020’ award by the London-based magazine – The Banker for his efforts to make the banking system more robust.

As RBI Governor, Das was conferred the title of ‘Governor of the Year 2023’ by the London-based financial journal Central Banking.

–IANS