‘Looking forward to contribute to India's transformational journey through Viksit Bharat': Amitabh Kant resigns as G20 Sherpa after 45 years in government service
NEW DELHI: Amitabh Kant, former
Niti Aayog
CEO and India's G20 Sherpa stepped down from his role, bringing to a close a distinguished 45-year career in public service.
Announcing his resignation on social media, the veteran bureaucrat expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve the nation in multiple key roles over the decades.
'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,' he wrote on X.
In his post, Kant added, 'I now look forward to contributing to India's transformational journey towards Viksit Bharat by facilitating and supporting free enterprise, startups, think tanks, and academic institutions.'
Amitabh Kant, a 1980 batch IAS officer of the Kerala cadre, played a key role in shaping flagship national missions such as Make in India, Startup India, and Ease of Doing Business during his tenure as CEO of NITI Aayog and later as G20 Sherpa during India's presidency.
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3 hours ago
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Amitabh Kant resigns as G20 Sherpa, begins new journey after 45 years Govt service:
New Delhi [India], June 16 (ANI): Amitabh Kant resigned as India's G20 Sherpa on Monday spoke about his 'New Journey' in which he said he is looking forward to 'contributing to India's transformational journey towards Viksit Bharat' by helping with supporting various startups, think tanks and academic institutions. A retired 1980-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Kerala cadre, was appointed as India's G20 Sherpa in July 2022. Kant has represented India during its G20 presidency and hosted the annual summit in New Delhi in 2023. 'I am grateful to all my colleagues, peers and friends for their patience, understanding, and support. I now look forward to contributing to India's transformational journey towards Viksit Bharat by facilitating and supporting free enterprise, startups, think tanks, and academic institutions,' Kant's post on social media platform X read. A G20 Sherpa is a personal representative of a country in the annual G20 summit, and participates in the discussions and negotiations. Each country appoints their own Sherpas. The term comes from the sherpas of Nepal, who guide mountaineers in the Himalayas during expeditions. Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving him the opportunity to work for India's development, Kant wrote, 'My New Journey. 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 underlined how a significant milestone for him was leading the country in the 2023 G20 summit, while India held the G20 presidency and organised the summit in New Delhi. 'Leading India's G20 Presidency in 2023 was a significant milestone in my career. Despite complex global challenges, we achieved unanimous consensus on the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration, and refocused attention on key developmental issues,' Kant said. '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. We also successfully ensured the inclusion of the African Union in the G20, fulfilling India's commitment to global equity and the voice of the Global South,' he said. Kant has also been the Secretary of the Department for Industrial Policy and Promotion and the CEO of NITI Aayog. Highlighting his tenure at NITI Aayog, Kant said, 'I had the privilege to lead path-breaking programs such as the Aspirational Districts Programme, which transformed lives of common citizens in 115 of India's most underdeveloped districts. We helped lay the foundations for India's digital public infrastructure and pushed policy reforms across sectors--ranging from manufacturing through PLI schemes to innovation through the Atal Innovation Mission and sustainability through the Green Hydrogen Mission and Advanced Chemistry Cells.' As Secretary of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion Kant said he focused on reform and liberalisation and drove key initiatives like Ease of Doing Business, Make in India, and Startup India, which he said helped India climb up 79 places in World Bank rankings. Kant also thanked Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, PK Mishra for their guidance and support. (ANI)
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5 hours ago
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India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant steps down from government service
India's G20 Sherpa and former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, 69, on Monday announced he has stepped down from government service, ending a 45-year-long career, and said he will engage with startups, think tanks, and academic institutions in a personal capacity. 'My New Journey: After 45 years of dedicated government service, I have made the decision to embrace new opportunities and move forward in life,' Kant wrote on X. 'I am incredibly thankful to the Prime Minister of India [Narendra Modi] 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. I am grateful to all my colleagues, peers and friends for their patience, understanding, and support.' On LinkedIn, Kant wrote he has decided to embrace new opportunities and begin a new chapter. He referred to the trust Modi placed in him to drive developmental initiatives that shaped India's growth trajectory. Kant thanked finance and external affairs ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar, and PK Mishra, the Prime Minister's principal secretary, for their guidance and support. 'I now look forward to India's transformational journey towards Viksit Bharat by supporting free enterprise, Startups, think tanks and academic institutions.' Kant was named G20 Sherpa in July 2022 and held the position during India's presidency of the grouping in 2023. 'Leading India's G20 Presidency in 2023 was a significant milestone in my career. Despite complex global challenges, we achieved unanimous consensus on the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration, and refocused attention on key developmental issues. We also successfully ensured the inclusion of the African Union in the G20, fulfilling India's commitment to global equity and the voice of the Global South,' said Kant, who began his career in 1980 as a Kerala cadre Indian Administrative Service officer. Kant was NITI Aayog's longest-serving CEO from February 2016 to June 2022. He oversaw the Aspirational Districts Programme, the Atal Innovation Mission, and policy efforts on digital infrastructure, green hydrogen, and advanced chemistry cells. 'We helped lay the foundations for India's digital public infrastructure and pushed policy reforms across sectors—ranging from manufacturing through PLI schemes to innovation through the Atal Innovation Mission and sustainability through the Green Hydrogen Mission and Advanced Chemistry Cells,' he said. Kant served as department for industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) secretary from 2014 to 2016, and tourism ministry joint secretary from 2001 to 2007. 'We initiated the 'Incredible India' campaign—born from the belief that travel & tourism has the best multiplier impact on jobs and growth,' he said. Kant reflected on the early years of his career and wrote his journey began in Kerala, where he learned the value of grassroots development. 'From the 'God's Own Country' campaign to rejuvenating Calicut city by reviving Mananchaira Maidan, removing vast encroachments, expanding Calicut Airport and working closely with fishing community — these experiences shaped my career.' He highlighted initiatives such as Ease of Doing Business, Make in India, and Startup India during his tenure at DIPP and added it helped India improve by 79 ranks in the World Bank's ease of doing business rankings. Kant said India has always been, and will always be, Incredible. 'Humbled to have played a small role. Thank you for being part of this journey.' He shared a collage of images from his government service, including with Modi, and the Dalai Lama.
