GUWAHATI: The Indian government has appointed former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das as Principal Secretary-2 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to an official order issued on Saturday, February 22. His tenure will be co-terminus with the term of the Prime Minister or until further orders, whichever comes first.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved Das’s appointment, with his tenure beginning from the date he assumes office. He will serve alongside Pramod Kumar Mishra, who has been in the position since 11 September 2019 and was reappointed in June 2024.
PK Mishra, a 1972 batch officer, previously retired as Agriculture Secretary to the Government of India. He has been closely working with Modi for the last decade, having also served as Additional Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister from 2014 to 2019.
Das, who previously held the position of Secretary of the Department of Revenue and the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, took office as the 25th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India on December 12, 2018. Before this, he was a Member of the 15th Finance Commission and India’s G20 Sherpa.
With over 38 years of experience in governance, Das has held key positions in both the Central and State Governments, specialising in finance, taxation, industries, and infrastructure. During his tenure at the Ministry of Finance, he played a direct role in preparing eight Union Budgets. A postgraduate from St Stephen’s College, Delhi University, Das has also served as India’s Alternate Governor in global financial institutions such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the New Development Bank (NDB), and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
He has represented India on major international platforms, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), G20, BRICS, and SAARC.
