On a sweltering July afternoon in 2022, as India prepared to take over the G20 presidency, its newly appointed Sherpa, Amitabh Kant, stood at the center of New Delhi’s diplomatic storm. For the seasoned
bureaucrat, it was less an initiation than a continuation – another milestone in a career defined by ambitious programs, high-stakes negotiations, and an unshakable faith in India’s ability to reinvent itself. In many ways, the G20 role was more than a diplomatic assignment; it was the culmination of decades of work that had made Kant a familiar presence in policy circles, corporate boardrooms, and television studios alike.
Kant’s path is unconventional, even by the high standards of India’s most distinguished civil servants. Born in 1956, he was educated at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, where he studied economics, and later earned a master’s degree in international relations at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
He was chosen for the Indian Administrative Service in 1980 and was posted to the Kerala cadre. Those formative years in Kerala shaped his passion for tourism, branding, and develop- ment, laying the groundwork for a career that would combine policy, marketing, and strategic thinking.
His first breakthrough came when, as Kerala’s tourism secretary, he initiated the “God’s Own Country” campaign. When Indian states competed very little in the international tourist marketplace, the campaign was bold, visually striking, and revolutionary. It repositioned Kerala as a high-end international destination and subsequently won international awards. The success caught the Union government’s attention, and Kant ultimately played a similar role in the “Incredible India” campaign.
These initial experiments demonstrated his ability to leverage branding not only for tourism but also as a broader tool of policy innovation. The relocation to Delhi placed Kant in the midst of economic policymaking. As Secretary of the Depart- ment of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), he initiated some of the Modi government’s most prominent initiatives, including “Make in India” and “Startup India.” Both were aimed at changing India’s international image: the former as a production center rivalling East Asia, and the latter as a dynamic ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation. Concurrent with this, Kant champi- oned reforms to Ease of Doing Business rankings, where India significantly improved its positioning over a span of years. The advocates attribute these efforts to attracting new investor interest, while others criticize the depth of reforms, which trends to be slow relative to branding. In any case, the efforts solidified Kant’s position as a go-to reform architect for the government.
However, it was his elevation in 2016 as CEO of NITI Aayog, India’s top policy think tank and successor to the Planning Commis- sion, that provided Kant his longest and most significant innings. For more than six years, until June 2022, he held a singular position that was one of the most powerful voices in the government’s development strategy. In NITI, Kant advocated governance through data, creating dashboards to monitor outcomes in health, education, and infrastruc- ture. He also became the face of high-impact schemes such as the Aspirational Districts Programme, a mission that attacked India’s most backward districts with intensive, measurable interventions.
Amitabh Kant was no longer merely a bureaucrat when he resigned from NITI Aayog to become India’s G20 Sherpa. He was a brand unto himself — a technocrat, a salesman, and a strategist. Criticized and idolized in equal measure, his career is one that reflects the tension between ambitious policy imagination and the harsh realities of implementation.
Amitabh Kant’s public service career spans more than four decades, and during this time, he has emerged as one of India’s most influential voices in policy. An officer in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of the 1980 batch, Kerala cadre, Kant initially made his mark with tourism work and branding campaigns, including iconic campaigns such as “God’s Own Country” for Kerala and “Incredible India”, which helped place India firmly on the world’s tourist map.
Leadership in NITI Aayog#
Kant’s tenure as CEO of NITI Aayog, from 2016 to 2022, was one of the most defining moments of his career. Under his leadership, several of the Indian government’s flagship programs for structural reforms and inclusive development were navigated. The Aspiration- al Districts Programme (ADP), initiated in 2018, is widely regarded as one of the most effective one. Spanning 115 lagging districts, the program monitors 49 indicators in five key areas: health & nutrition, education, agriculture & water resources, financial inclusion & skill development, and basic infrastructure.
District collectors were skilled at refreshing the data to monitor in real time and hold individuals accountable. This evidence-based approach established a benchmark for governance frameworks in India.
Moving Economic Reforms#
Another key policy action in his tenure was the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), formulated in consultation with ministries to monetize the value of government assets. The NMP envisioned a monetization potential of ₹6.0 lakh crore over four years (FY22-25), with roadways, railways, and power infrastructure comprising the majority of the assets. By FY25, monetization of highway assets alone had generated ₹1.42 lakh crore, evidencing the pipeline’s expanding influence.
Vision for Atmanirbhar Bharat#
Kant’s work has also been directly linked to the government’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India). He has been a driving force behind initiatives such as Make in India and Startup India, which aim to increase domestic manufactur- ing, attract investment attraction, and foster entrepreneurship. Through the encourage- ment and reduction of bureaucratic bottle- necks, these initiatives have established India as a startup and global investment hub.
Recognition and Ongoing Impact#
Despite resigning as CEO of NITI Aayog, Kant continues to drive India’s development agenda. He was appointed as an Independent Director of the Board of HCLTech, a leading Indian IT services company, on September 8, 2025. This appointment testifies to the private sector’s appreciation of his impactful policy, governance, and strategic change expertise. When India assumed the presidency of the Group of Twenty (G20) in December 2022, it presented India to showcase its leadership on the global stage. Amitabh Kant, who was named India’s G20 Sherpa in July 2022, was the face of this presidency, with the mandate to guide negotiations, set priorities, and forge consensus among the world’s largest economies. For a year, he navigated the nexus of diplomacy, development, and strategy to ensure that India’s G20 moment would have a lasting impact.
One of the most important fruits of his term was the successful adoption of the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration during the G20 Summit in September 2023. The New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration was adopted at the 2023 G20 Summit, marking a consensus among member nations on key developmental and sustainability issues.
Kant has publicly defined this achievement as one that demonstrates India can be a bridge builder and peacemaker, bringing diverse voices together at the same table.
The joint statement transcended politics to talk of fundamental developmental concerns. It demonstrated resilience, balance, and growth, with a pledge to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reforms to multilateral institutions, and a green development compact aimed at addressing climate change. The themes resonated with Kant’s enduring vision of inclusive development, digital revolution, and sustainability, linking India’s domestic agenda to international concerns.
Another milestone in the Sherpa-ship of Kant was Prime Minister Modi’s advocacy for the inclusion of the African Union as a perma- nent member of the G20. It was universally acclaimed as a move towards intensifying the voice of the Global South at the international level. Kant always emphasized that India’s presidency was not merely a matter of national pride but about building a more balanced and representative framework of global governance.
Apart from the official negotiations, Kant also ensured that India’s presidency left a lasting cultural and societal legacy. During his tenure, the G20 presidency evolved into a national event, with over 220 events held in 60 cities across the country. This strategy enabled all parts of India to participate in hosting international delegates while simultaneously supporting local culture and tourism.
Activities such as displaying One District One Product (ODOP) handicrafts and hosting cultural festivals highlighted the country’s diversity, making the presidency a people’s movement.
His term also furthered India’s leadership in digital innovation. Kant underscored digital public infrastructure, fintech inclusion, and technology-led growth as responses not just for India, but also for other emerging economies. This emphasis ensured that India’s successful models, such as Aadhaar, UPI, and CoWIN, were showcased to the world as scalable solutions, highlighting the country as an IT hub.
Amitabh Kant’s tenure as Sherpa ended in June 2025. His stint as India’s G20 Sherpa is best remembered as one of the most signifi- cant chapters of his career, which represents his diplomatic acumen as well as his single-minded commitment to inclusive growth and serves as an inspiration to our bureaucrats and leaders.
Note: Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the Clear Cut Magazine.
Clear Cut Awards & Events Desk
New Delhi, UPDATED: Dec 31, 2025 06:41 IST
Written By: Janmojaya Barik
