The central government on Friday extended the tenure of Reserve Bank of India governor Shaktikanta Das for three years. The reappointment will be effective from December 10 or until further orders, the government said an official statement.
“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the reappointment of Shaktikanta Das as RBI Governor for a period of three years beyond December 10, 2021 or until further orders, whichever is earliest,” the official statement read.
Interestingly, Das is the first RBI governor to get an extension under the BJP government.
According to reports, the decision to extend Das’ term was approved by the appointments committee of the cabinet on Thursday.
The RBI govenor served as the department of economic affairs secretary at the Union Finance Ministry before being appointed as the central bank’s head on December 11, 2018. Das succeeded Urjit Patel after the latter resigned over differences with the government over RBI’s functioning.
A postgraduate from the prestigious St. Stephen’s College of Delhi University, Das has held important positions in the sectors of finance, taxation, industries and infrastructure.
During his tenure in the Finance Ministry, Das was closely involved in the preparation of as many as eight budgets.
He has also been India’s Alternate Governor in the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, New Development Ban and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. He has also represented India in international platforms like the IMF, G20, BRICS and SAARC among others.