Shaktikanta Das is a 1980 batch IAS officer from the Tamil Nadu cadre. He is currently a member of the Fifteenth Finance Commission. He also represents India at the G-20 in a role of a sherpa.
Das was the economic affairs secretary to the Government of India till May 2017 and was in office when demonetisation was announced. During that period, when cash was in short supply, Das was often seen defending the government’s decision even as the RBI remained silent.
Das toed the government’s line that demonetisation would help reduce unaccounted wealth in the economy, bring down the problem of counterfeit money and help push digital payments. He had also countered the concerns over the growth impact of demonetisation by saying that any short-term dip in growth has been factored in.
Since he left the Finance Ministry, Das has retreated from debates around current economic issues. As such, he is yet to weigh in on some of the issues of dispute between the RBI and the Government.
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