One of India’s most distinguished bureaucrats, Amitabh Kant (Retd. IAS:1980:KL), who served as the country’s G20 Sherpa and former CEO of NITI Aayog, has stepped down from public life after an illustrious 45-year career. Prime Minister Narendra Modi accepted his resignation from the G20 Sherpa role with effect from June 15, 2025.
Kant played a pivotal role during India’s presidency of the G20, especially at the successful summit hosted in New Delhi on September 9–10, 2023. He took over as G20 Sherpa in July 2022, succeeding Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kant reflected on his journey:
He hinted at future plans, stating that he looks forward to contributing to India’s vision of Viksit Bharat by supporting free enterprise, startups, think tanks, and academic institutions.
On his LinkedIn profile, Kant shared a detailed account of his four-decade-long career, which began in Kerala, where he launched the iconic “God’s Own Country” tourism campaign and undertook initiatives to revive Calicut city, improve airport infrastructure, and support local fishing communities.
As Secretary of the Department for Industrial Policy and Promotion, he was instrumental in key reform programs such as Ease of Doing Business, Make in India, and Startup India, which collectively elevated India’s standing by 79 ranks in the World Bank’s ease of doing business index.
During his tenure as CEO of NITI Aayog (2016–2022), he spearheaded transformative projects including the Aspirational Districts Programme, SDG localisation, National Electric Mobility Mission, and the LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) initiative. He also played a central role in strengthening India’s digital public infrastructure through the Atal Innovation Mission, PLI schemes, and Green Hydrogen Mission.
Expressing gratitude to senior leaders like Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, and Principal Secretary to the PM Dr. P.K. Mishra, Kant said, “To my Ministers—Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman & Dr S.Jaishankar & Prl Secy to PM Shri P.K.Mishra -I am grateful for your guidance and support. To all my colleagues,mentors & friends—thank you for your inspiration.”
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