New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Shaktikanta Das has been awarded the Governor of the Year award by Central Banking. Das has helped maneuver the ship as it faced multiple obstacles since his appointment, the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war being the two major tests.
Das, 66, was given the top post at the RBI back in December 2018, succeeding Urjit Patel who had left the post abruptly, citing ‘personal reasons’. Das, a veteran Tamil Nadu cadre officer, was also instrumental in establishing the MPC. A 1980 batch Tamil Nadu batch IAS officer, Das took charge as Union revenue secretary in June 2014.
As the economic affairs secretary, Das was the key man behind the planning and execution of demonetisation drive.
Das was also the brain behind rolling out the Goods and Services Tax (GST). He was instrumental in pushing GST soon after the Modi government took charge.
Central Banking Publications is a financial publisher specialising in public policy and financial markets, with an emphasis on central banks, and international financial institutions. RBI’s former governor Raghuram Rajan was conferred the title back in 2015.
The Indian central bank, since the turn of Covid-19, has been actively engaged in managing the benchmark lending rate and other levers at its disposal. To start with, the rate-setting panel of the RBI, the Monetary Policy Committee, held an emergency meeting and hiked rates by 75 bps.
“A war effort has to be mounted, and is being mounted, to combat the virus, involving both conventional and unconventional measures in continuous battle-ready mode,” Das said in the live-streamed address. “Life in the time of Covid-19 has been one of unprecedented loss and isolation. Yet, it is worthwhile to remember that tough times never last; only tough people and tough institutions do,” Central Banking said.
 governor Shaktikanta Das has been awarded the Governor of the Year award by Central Banking. Das has helped maneuver the ship as it faced multiple obstacles since his appointment, the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war being the two major tests.){kind=link}