Amitabh Kant Retires After 45 Years In Public Service

Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 sherpa and former chief executive officer of NITI Aayog, on Monday announced his retirement from public service after a 45-year-long career. Kant, who was appointed G20 sherpa in 2022, led India’s presidency of the group last year.

“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 said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Kant played a key role in helping achieve consensus for the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration despite geopolitical tensions, and under his watch, the African Union was inducted into the group in 2023.

A Kerala-cadre bureaucrat, Kant served as CEO of NITI Aayog from 2016 to 2022. He headed the group managing India’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and led several key initiatives including the national asset monetisation programme and the mission for transformative mobility.