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Context:

Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das was appointed the Principal Secretary-2 to the Prime Minister.

Who is Shaktikanta Das?

He is a bureaucrat and economist who joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 1980 from the Tamil Nadu cadre.

Over his 44-year career, Das has held critical roles in both fiscal policy (government budgeting and taxation) and monetary policy (central bank operations), making him a rare figure with expertise in both domains.

Fiscal Policy Roles:

• Fertilisers Secretary (2014), Revenue Secretary (2014–2015), and Economic Affairs Secretary (2015–2017) in the Ministry of Finance.
• Played a key role in drafting eight Union Budgets and implementing landmark policies like demonetization (2016) and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) (2017).
• Served as a member of the 15th Finance Commission and India’s G20 Sherpa .

Monetary Policy Roles:

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor (2018–2024), navigating the economy through crises like the IL&FS collapse (2018), COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2022), and Russia-Ukraine war-induced inflation.
• Oversaw the withdrawal of ₹2,000 notes and promoted UPI and RuPay as global payment systems.

Principal Secretary-2 to Prime Minister

Das was appointed Principal Secretary-2 to the Prime Minister, a newly created post alongside incumbent Principal Secretary P.K. Mishra . This marks the first time two individuals will simultaneously serve as Principal Secretaries to the PM.

Role of the Principal Secretary  

The Principal Secretary is the administrative head of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and acts as the PM’s chief advisor.

Responsibilities

• Ensuring alignment between ministries, departments, and the PM’s vision.
• Advising on economic, fiscal, and monetary policies.
• Preparing notes for PM’s meetings with foreign leaders and representing India in global forums.
• Addressing domestic and global challenges, such as inflation, trade wars, or financial sector reforms.

Source: 

INDIAN EXPRESS