Outgoing RBI chief Shaktikanta Das thanks Modi government, finance ministry for collaboration

synopsis

Shaktikanta Das, the outgoing Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on Tuesday (December 10) expressed his gratitude as he wrapped up his six-year tenure at the helm of the central bank. Reflecting on his time as the RBI Governor, Das stressed the strong fiscal-monetary coordination that helped the country navigate through multiple challenges, particularly during the tumultuous global economic conditions in recent years.

In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Das thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the opportunity to serve the nation as the head of the RBI. "Immensely grateful to the Hon'ble PM @narendramodi for giving me this opportunity to serve the country as Governor RBI and for his guidance and encouragement. Benefited a lot from his ideas and thoughts," he wrote.

Das also thanked Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for her unwavering support and highlighted the fruitful fiscal-monetary coordination under her leadership. He credited this collaboration for helping address the challenges India faced in the past six years, especially the unprecedented global shocks caused by the pandemic and geopolitical uncertainties.

He expressed his appreciation for the contributions of various stakeholders in the financial sector, as well as experts, economists, industry bodies, and organizations in sectors like agriculture, cooperatives, and services.

"A BIG thank you to the entire Team RBI. Together, we successfully navigated an exceptionally difficult period of unprecedented global shocks," he said.

Das was appointed the 25th Governor of the RBI in December 2018 after the sudden resignation of Urjit Patel. His appointment followed a period of tensions between the RBI and the government over issues like surplus transfer and the autonomy of the central bank. Das's leadership, however, saw a resolution of these conflicts, helping restore market confidence and smooth governance.

During his tenure, Das also oversaw record dividends to the government, with the RBI handing over Rs 2.11 lakh crore this year, the highest-ever dividend in the bank's history. His leadership was seen as highly in sync with the Modi government’s expectations, marked by stability and collaboration.