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Amitabh Kant

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Amitabh Kant
Indian emissary to G20
Incumbent
Assumed office
8 July 2022
Preceded byPiyush Goyal
2nd CEO of NITI Aayog
In office
17 February 2016 – 30 June 2022
Preceded bySindhushree Khullar
Succeeded byParameswaran Iyer
Personal details
Born (1956-03-01) 1 March 1956 (age 68)
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
SpouseRanjeeta Kant
Alma mater
OccupationCivil servant
WebsiteOfficial website

Amitabh Kant (born 1 March 1956) is presently India's G20 Sherpa[1]. He is an Indian bureaucrat and the former chief executive officer of NITI Aayog,[2] a public policy think tank of the Government of India. He is a retired member of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the central civil service of the Government of India.[3]

Early life

Amitabh Kant was born on 1 March 1956. He first studied at Modern School, Delhi, graduated with a degree in Economics (Hons.) from St. Stephen's College, Delhi[4] and earned an M.A. in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University.[5] He was a Chevening Scholar.[6]

Career

Sub-collector, Thalassery

Kant began his Indian Administrative Service career in the Kerala cadre, working as sub collector of Thalassery.[7], where he carried out infrastructural work such as widening roads, removing encroachments, relocating the town's fish market from the town-centre to the beach area, and initiating the Tellicherry Carnival for communal harmony.[8]

District Collector, Kozhikode (Calicut)

During his tenure, he played a pivotal role in the expansion of Calicut airport.[9]

Tourism Secretary, Kerala

Transitioning to the role of Tourism Secretary, Kant promoted Kerala as a tourist destination.[10]

G20 Sherpa, Ministry of External Affairs

During the G20 Presidency of India (December 2022-2023), he assumed the role of India's Sherpa to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, entrusted with representing the nation's interests in the multilateral forum. Under the directive of the Prime Minister, he was responsible for implementing a presidency that was ambitious, inclusive, and focused on representing the interests of the Global South. Throughout the Presidency, he and his team encountered numerous hurdles, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which posed challenges to progress on critical development issues.

India Today's High & Mighty rankings of 2019 featured Kant as one of the most powerful people in India under the category of "The Supercrats - India's Top Bureaucrats".[11]

Publications

Kant is the author of books 'Branding India-An Incredible Story,' 'Incredible India 2.0,' 'Made in India: 75 Years of Business and Enterprise,' and 'The Elephant Moves: India's New Place in the World co-authored with Amit Kapoor.' He is also the editor of 'The Path Ahead- Transformative Ideas for India,' and has written over 500 articles in leading Indian and foreign publications.

Honours

Controversies

In December 2020, Kant attracted controversy after remarking at a public event, organized by Swarajya magazine, that enacting "tough reforms" were hard in India, since it is "too much of a democracy".[13][14][15][16]

References

  1. ^ Sharma, Harikishan (10 September 2023). "The face behind India's G20 prep: Sherpa Amitabh Kant". The Indian Express. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  2. ^ "India's startup movement is fast gaining momentum: Amitabh Kant". The Economic Times. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  3. ^ "NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant's tenure extended by one year". The Hindu. 2021-06-29. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  4. ^ "Did you know these 6 top office holders in India went to the same college?". India Today. 17 December 2018.
  5. ^ "Tourism Tales with Amitabh Kant". www.braingainmag.com. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  6. ^ "Chief Executive Officer".
  7. ^ "Reviving Nostalgic Memories: DIPP secretary Amitabh Kant's journey to Tellicherry, his first posting". Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  8. ^ Bansal, Rashmi. Shine Bright. Westland. p. 292.
  9. ^ Jacob, Rahul (16 Jan 2016). "Lunch with BS: Amitabh Kant". Business Standard. Business Standard. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  10. ^ "The Kerala tourism secretary job was seen as a lousy posting: Amitabh Kant". Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  11. ^ "The most powerful people of India 2019 - Full list". India Today. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  12. ^ "令和５年秋の外国人叙勲 受章者名簿" (PDF). Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  13. ^ "'Tough Reforms Difficult in India, We Are Too Much of a Democracy,' Says Niti Aayog CEO". The Wire. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
  14. ^ "Why Niti Aayog CEO's statement is a warning to the people". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
  15. ^ "Niti Aayog's Kant denies saying India is 'too much of a democracy', Twitter users share event clip". Scroll.in. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
  16. ^ "Hindustan Times withdraws report on Niti Aayog CEO's 'too much democracy' comment". Newslaundry. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
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