Amitabh Kant, a veteran bureaucrat and former NITI Aayog Chief, has stepped down as India’s G20 Sherpa. A retired 1980-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Kerala cadre, he was appointed as India’s G20 Sherpa in July 2022, months before India assumed the G20 Presidency.
He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his LinkedIn post on June 16. He wrote, “After 45 years of dedicated government service, I have made the decision to embrace new opportunities and move forward in life. I am incredibly thankful to the Prime Minister of India for accepting my resignation as G20 Sherpa and for having given me the opportunity to drive a range of developmental initiatives and contribute to the growth, development, and progress of India.”
Kant described India’s G20 Presidency in 2023 as one of the most important milestones in his career. He said that India was able to achieve consensus on the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration despite global challenges.
Kant tenure as G20 Sherpa
He added, “India’s G20 Presidency was people-centric and inclusive, with meetings held across all states and union territories. This strengthened cooperative federalism, celebrated local culture, and upgraded infrastructure nationwide.”
Kant also highlighted India’s success in pushing for the inclusion of the African Union in the G20. “We fulfilled India’s commitment to global equity and gave voice to the Global South,” he said.
Kant rolled out transformative programs during his NITI Aayog tenure
Before taking on the role of Sherpa, he served the Indian government as the CEO of NITI Aayog, India’s apex policy think tank, from 2016 to 2022. His tenure saw the rollout of transformative programs like the Aspirational Districts Programme, which helped improve lives in 115 of India’s most underdeveloped districts.
He also worked on programs like the National Electric Mobility Mission, SDG localisation, and the LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) campaign.
He played a key role in building India’s digital public infrastructure and promoting innovation and sustainability. Some of the important initiatives during his tenure included the Atal Innovation Mission, PLI schemes, Green Hydrogen Mission, and Advanced Chemistry Cells.
Kant began his career as an IAS officer in the Kerala cadre
Kant began his journey as a civil servant in Kerala, where he focused on grassroots development. He recalled launching the famous “God’s Own Country” tourism campaign and working to revive Calicut city, clear encroachments, expand the airport, and assist the fishing community.
Later, at the Ministry of Tourism, he helped launch the global “Incredible India” campaign, based on the belief that tourism boosts jobs and growth.
Earlier, as Secretary of the Department for Industrial Policy and Promotion, Kant pushed forward several reform policies like Ease of Doing Business, Make in India, and Startup India. He wrote, “These transformed India’s business landscape and helped the country climb 79 places in the World Bank rankings.”
Kant planning to support startups
Kant expressed gratitude to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and Principal Secretary to the PM P.K. Mishra for their guidance and support. He also thanked his colleagues, mentors, and friends.
Looking ahead, Kant said he will now focus on supporting startups, free enterprise, think tanks, and academic institutions. “I now look forward to India’s transformational journey towards Viksit Bharat by supporting free enterprise, startups, think tanks, and academic institutions,” he wrote.
Amitabh Kant is the author of several books, including Branding India: An Incredible Story, Made in India, and The Elephant Moves. In 2023, he was conferred with Japan’s prestigious Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star for his contributions to strengthening India–Japan relations.