A former top bureaucrat reveals how India manages its money, and the political landmines he navigated to protect public interest

For over three decades, Subhash Chandra Garg was at the heart of India’s bureaucratic battlefield – crafting policies, managing crises and manoeuvring through the power struggles that define governance. From the villages of Rajasthan where land disputes could spark violent protests, to the corridors of power in Delhi where economic decisions could make or break the nation, Garg’s career as a civil servant was anything but ordinary.

As Finance Secretary of India, he played a pivotal role in reshaping India’s economic policies, battling entrenched interests and pulling states back from financial ruin. He confronted corruption head-on, took on international financial institutions and steered high-stakes negotiations that impacted millions.

Unflinching and deeply revealing, No, Minister is more than a memoir – it is a front-row seat to the raw, often brutal realities of navigating the world of Indian bureaucracy. Power, politics and policy collide in this gripping account of a career spent at the helm of India’s economic and administrative landscape.