Amitabh Kant (born 1 March 1956) is an Indian bureaucrat and was the second chief executive officer of NITI Aayog, a public policy think tank of the Government of India. He is a retired member of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the central civil service of the Government of India. He was appointed as India's G20 Sherpa during its presidency.

Early life

Amitabh Kant was born on 1 March 1956. He first studied at Modern School, Delhi, graduated with a degree in Economics (Hons.) from St. Stephen's College, Delhi and earned an M.A. in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University. He was a Chevening Scholar.

Career

Kant began his Indian Administrative Service career in the Kerala cadre, working as sub collector of Thalassery. India Today's High & Mighty rankings of 2019 featured Kant as one of the most powerful people in India under the category of "The Supercrats - India's Top Bureaucrats" along with other bureaucrats such as Nripendra Misra and Ajit Doval. Currently, he is an Indian delegate at the G20.

Industrial policy

Until March, 2016 Kant was posted as national Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). He was responsible for formulation and implementation of industrial policy and strategies for industrial development, monitoring the industrial growth and performance of specific industrial sectors, formulation of foreign direct investment (FDI) policy and FDI promotion and facilitation. Related policies covered intellectual property rights relating to patents, trademarks, industrial design and geographical Indications. He was also responsible for promotion of productivity, quality and technical cooperation.

Delhi/Mumbai Industrial Corridor

Kant worked as CEO of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC). The Government is developing the corridor as a global manufacturing and investment destination supported by world class infrastructure and enabling policy framework. The project is aimed at the development of smart industrial cities for new technology. The intent is to encourage manufacturing as a route to the economic growth of India.

Services in Kerala

Amitabh Kant has worked as Secretary – Tourism, Government of Kerala, Managing Director, Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation, District Collector, Kozhikode and Managing Director, Matsyafed. During his tenure in Kerala he structured the Calicut Airport as a private sector project based on User’s Free and developed the BSES Power Project and Mattanchery Bridge under Private Public Partnership. He was also responsible for introducing new technology (fiberglass crafts and outboard motor) in the fisheries sector and launching beach level auctions which substantially enhanced returns to traditional fishermen. As District Collector, he implemented a major project of Urban Revival and Development through traditional Malabar architecture in creation of Mananchira City square in Kozhikode. He is the father of Kerala's highly successful tourism tagline " Kerala - God's Own Country" He began his IAS career working as sub collector of Thalassery.

Controversies

In December 2020, Kant attracted controversy after remarking at a public event, organized by Swarajya magazine, that enacting "tough reforms" were hard in India, since it is "too much of a democracy".

Recognition

He received the Economic Time Policy Change Agent of the Year Award, the Bloomberg TV Personality of the year Award, the NDTV Administrator of the year Award and the Distinguished Fellowship of the Institute of Directors. He is the recipient of One Globe Award-2016 for leadership in Transforming Governance for the 21st Century. He is a Member of the Steering Board of “Shaping the Future of Production Systems” of the World Economic Forum.