'Appoint Amitabh Kant to head Rs 50,000-cr Start Up Mission,' Mohandas Pai urges PM Modi

Following Amitabh Kant's resignation as India's G20 Sherpa, Aarin Capital chairman Mohandas Pai on Monday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to appoint him to lead a national startup initiative with significant funding support. "Very grateful to Amitabh Kant for his great work. A great INDIA BULL. PM Narendra Modi, Pl have him head India Start-Up Mission with a 50000 cr FOF (fund of funds) to transform Indian startups into a Deep Tech Global Power. PMO, We need him," Pai wrote on X.

Kant stepped down from his role as G20 Sherpa after completing what he described as 45 years of government service. In a LinkedIn post titled ‘My New Journey’, he wrote, “After 45 years of dedicated government service, I have made the decision to embrace new opportunities and move forward in life. I am incredibly thankful to the Prime Minister of India for accepting my resignation as G20 Sherpa and for having given me the opportunity to drive a range of developmental initiatives and contribute to the growth, development, and progress of India.”

Kant is a retired 1980-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Kerala cadre. He was appointed as India's G20 Sherpa in July 2022, just months before the country assumed the G20 presidency. He led India's G20 preparations and multilateral negotiations. “We achieved unanimous consensus on the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration, despite significant geopolitical challenges,” he wrote, highlighting India’s focus on digital infrastructure, climate finance, and women-led development. “We also successfully expanded the G20's scope to include the African Union, fulfilling India's promise and commitment to global inclusivity and collaboration with the Global South."

Kant also reflected on his earlier role as CEO of NITI Aayog (2016–2022), where he worked on the Aspirational Districts Programme, digital public infrastructure, and initiatives like the Green Hydrogen Mission and Atal Innovation Mission. "NITI played a key role in pushing digital public infrastructure through policy, and helped lay the foundational groundwork for India’s digital revolution," he said.

"During those 6+ years, NITI played a key role in pushing digital public infrastructure through policy, and helped lay the foundational groundwork for India's digital revolution," Kant said, adding that through the production-linked incentive schemes to boost manufacturing and accelerate industrial growth, the Green Hydrogen Mission, advanced chemistry cells, and the Atal Innovation Mission, the Aayog played a key role in positioning India as a global leader in climate action, cutting-edge innovation, and sustainable enterprise.

He credited the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade — where he earlier served as Secretary — for driving the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Startup India’ programs. Kant said his public career began in Kerala, where he helped shape the 'God’s Own Country' campaign and worked on local infrastructure and community initiatives. "India has, and will always be, Incredible. In a small way, I have contributed to helping the world recognise that," he wrote.

Looking ahead, Kant added, “I now look forward to contributing to India's transformational journey towards Viksit Bharat by facilitating and supporting free enterprise, startups, think tanks, and academic institutions."