Nripendra Misra, who has been Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s principal secretary since his early days in office in 2014, on Friday announced his decision to resign and “move on”.

Misra has been asked by Modi to continue for another fortnight and outgoing cabinet secretary P.K. Sinha has been appointed officer on special duty in the PMO. Sinha was due to retire on Friday.

Misra, elevated to the rank of cabinet minister, is leaving just three months into the second term of the Modi government.

“It has been a privilege to serve the country under Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji. I am deeply grateful to him for this opportunity and the complete confidence he has placed in me,” Misra said in a statement.

Modi wished Misra on “a new phase of his life” and recalled: “When I was new to Delhi in 2014, he taught me a lot and his guidance remains extremely valuable.”