New Delhi: In a historic move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will now have two principal secretaries. Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das has been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary, joining P.K. Mishra, who has held the position since 2019. Earlier, when Nripendra Mishra was the Principal Secretary, P.K. Mishra (now 76 years old) served as the Additional Principal Secretary. However, after the Modi government was re-elected in 2019, P.K. Mishra was elevated to the role of Principal Secretary. Traditionally, an Additional Principal Secretary was appointed to assist the Prime Minister, but this time, two full-fledged Principal Secretaries have been appointed instead.
Experts believe that P.K. Mishra’s advanced age necessitated the addition of a senior aide. At 76 years old, Mishra required additional support, while Shaktikanta Das, at approximately 67 years of age, brings extensive experience in governance. Before serving as the RBI Governor, Das held key positions as Revenue Secretary and Secretary of Economic Affairs. His expertise in finance and policymaking is expected to be highly beneficial for the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Das completed his tenure as RBI Governor last December after receiving an extension in 2021. Besides the two Principal Secretaries, the Prime Minister also has two advisors—IAS officers Amit Khare and Tarun Kapoor. In the PMO, P.K. Mishra remains the senior-most retired officer, belonging to the 1972 IAS batch. After Modi’s re-election for a third term, Mishra was once again appointed as Principal Secretary.
Shaktikanta Das completed his schooling at Demonstration Multipurpose School in Bhubaneswar before earning his graduation and master’s degrees in history from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. Over his long career as a civil servant, he played a significant role in the preparation of eight Union Budgets. Additionally, he has served as a governor in major financial institutions like the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the New Development Bank (NDB), and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
