Amitabh Kant resigns as G20 Sherpa after serving govt for 45 years

Former Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant on Monday stepped down as G20 Sherpa after serving in the role for three years.

After serving the Indian government for 45 years in several capacities, Kant has now decided to facilitate and support free enterprise, startups, think tanks, and academic institutions.

Taking to social media platform X, he said that he has decided to explore new opportunities and begin a new chapter in life. With his resignation, he expressed his gratitude to PM Narendra Modi for accepting his resignation as India’s G20 Sherpa.

"After 45 years of dedicated service to the Government, I have decided to embrace new opportunities and begin a new chapter. I am deeply grateful to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for accepting my resignation as India’s G20 Sherpa and for the trust he placed in me to drive developmental initiatives that shaped India’s growth trajectory," he said.

Kant is a retired 1980-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Kerala cadre. He was appointed as India's G20 Sherpa in July 2022.

Highlighting significant milestones of his career, Kant recalled India’s G20 Presidency in 2023. “India 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.

He drove some of government’s key initiatives like Ease of Doing Business, Make in India, and Startup India, helping the country climb 79 places in the World Bank rankings.