The Central 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. His tenure will be co-terminus with the term of the prime minister or until further orders.
In an official letter, it said, “The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shri Shaktikanta Das, IAS (Retired), as Principal Secretary-2 to Prime Minister with effect from the date he assumes the office. His appointment will be co-terminus with the term of the Prime Minister or until further orders, whichever is earlier.”
Das will serve alongside Pramod Kumar Mishra, who has held the position of principal secretary since September 11, 2019, and was reappointed in June 2024. Dr PK Mishra, a 1972 batch officer, previously retired as the agriculture secretary to the Government of India and has worked closely with the prime minister for the last 10 years. He also served as Additional Principal Secretary to the prime minister from 2014 to 2019.
Shaktikanta Das has previously served as secretary of the Department of Revenue and the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance. He was appointed as the 25th Governor of the RBI on December 12, 2018. Before that, 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 role in the preparation of 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, including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), New Development Bank (NDB), and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
He has represented India at international platforms such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), G20, BRICS, and SAARC.
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