Amitabh Kant

Some Lesser Known Facts About Amitabh Kant

• Does Amitabh Kant smoke?: Not Known

• Does Amitabh Kant drink alcohol?: Yes

• He is considered one of the prominent civil servants in India.

• He has served the Government of Kerala and the Government of India in various capacities.

• Amitabh Kant began his IAS career as a Sub Collector of Thalassery in Kerala.

• Mr. Kant has been a key driver of ‘Make in India,’ Startup India,’ ‘Incredible India,’ and ‘God’s Own Country’ initiatives, which positioned and branded India and Kerala State as leading manufacturing tourism destinations.

• He is the person behind the development of Kerala as India’s leading tourism destination.

• Amitabh Kant is also the person who conceptualized and executed the “Atithi Devo Bhavah” – “Guest is God” campaign to train Taxi Drivers, Guides, and immigration officials and make them stakeholders in the tourism development process.

• As the National Project Director of the Rural Tourism Project of UNDP, Mr. Kant made a paradigm shift in spreading tourism to Indian villages, which had core competency in handloom, handicrafts, and culture.

• As the Secretary of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) – Government of India, he was responsible for monitoring the industrial growth and performance of specific industrial sectors, formulation and implementing of industrial policy and strategies for industrial development, and Policies related to Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) in the fields of Patents, Trademarks, Industrial Designs, and Geographical Indications, formulation of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Policy and Promotion and facilitation of FDI.

• He has also worked as CEO of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC). DMIC is supposed to address not merely the urbanization requirements of India, but with manufacturing as the main economic base, is also supposed to contribute significantly to the economic growth of India.

• Amitabh Kant is also a Member of the Steering Board of “Shaping the Future of Production Systems” of the World Economic Forum.

• On 6 October 2012, He also did a TED talk in New Delhi.

• He is also the author of “Branding India – An Incredible Story.”

• He is also good at chess and has a rapport with India’s chess icon, Viswanathan Anand. 

• On 17 February 2016, Mr. Kant was appointed the CEO of NITI Aayog- the government think tank.

• On 5 February 2018, he was given an extension as CEO of NITI Aayog till 30 June 109.

• Here’s a brief conversation with Amitabh Kant:

• In 2023, Amitabh Kant worked on the draft of the ‘New Delhi Declaration’ along with four diplomats named Enam Gambhir, Ashish Sinha, Abhay Thakur, and Nagaraj Naidu Kakanur. The declaration was adopted by the members of the G20 at a 100% consensus on the opening day of the summit. Amitabh later posted about the declaration on X and mentioned that the most challenging aspect of the entire process was achieving consensus on the geopolitical issues, particularly concerning Russia and Ukraine. He further added that the declaration required more than 200 hours of continuous negotiations, involved 300 bilateral meetings, and went through 15 different drafts.