Recently Dutt had joined The Washington Post's Global Opinion section as a contributing columnist

Journalist Barkha Dutt has stepped down from her position of a consulting editor at NDTV after over two decades of joining the news channel.

Dutt, a Padma Shri award winner, is likely to "explore some new opportunities, and work on her own ventures," ending her long innings at the TV news channel, where she has worked since the start of her career in 1995. She was the host of NDTV's popular prime time show, The Buck Stops Here and their weekend talk show We the People.

Recently, Dutt joined The Washington Post's Global Opinion section as a contributing columnist, according to a tweet she had put out on 9 January.

NDTV has put out a formal communication on their website, briefly revisiting Dutt's long and eventful career, while wishing her the best for her future endeavours.

She also confirmed her move in a series of tweets on the social media platform, tweeting soon after hosting her last episode of We the People, which she said was the longest running TV show that she had built from scratch.

Did my last We The People. At 16 yrs its longest running TV show which I built from scratch,won scores of awards for& am hugely proud of 1/4 — barkha dutt (@BDUTT) January 15, 2017

In her tweets, the popular news anchor also looked back at her long stint at the TV channel, which saw her win many accolades in her career, but said that it was "time for new beginnings" in the new year.

Its been a super ride at NDTV but new beginning in 2017. I shall be moving on from NDTV to explore new opportunities & my own ventures! 2/4 — barkha dutt (@BDUTT) January 15, 2017

As I move on after 21 Great NDTV yrs;a team I'm SO proud of, an Emmy Nomination & many other awards to cap it all,I count on your wishes 3/4 — barkha dutt (@BDUTT) January 15, 2017

Dutt did not divulge much details on her next move but said that she will most likely come up with her own "projects, and promised more details on her future plans.

Hugely excited to start New Year on a new slate, diversify my interests & build my own independent projects. Watch this space for more ! 4/4 — barkha dutt (@BDUTT) January 15, 2017

Journalist Rahul Singh, and musician Vishal Dadlani were among the first few who congratulated Dutt and wished her luck.

Thanks a lot. Now time for new challenges and new adventures and learning new skills too! https://t.co/njtXOzQbo3 — barkha dutt (@BDUTT) January 15, 2017

Thank you. We live in an age of a million possibilities. I am very excited to begin anew and thus keep my edge. https://t.co/7xwt6p0GGv — barkha dutt (@BDUTT) January 15, 2017

Talks about Dutt opening her own news company has been doing the rounds since February 2015 when she stepped down from her position as Group Editor in the news group restricting her role to that of a consulting editor, while she continued to host two of her signature shows at the TV channel, The Buck Stops Here and We The People.

The award winning TV anchor had become a household name after her frontline coverage of the Kargil War from the border posts in 1999. She is the recipient of the prestigious Padma Shri award, India's fourth highest civilian honour. Moreover, her weekly talk show, We the People won the Indian Television Academy award for Best Talk Show five years in a row.

Dutt's stellar career was also marred with a few controversies, as she drew flak for her coverage of the Gujarat riots in 2002 and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Her name also cropped up in the infamous Niira Radia tapes controversy in 2011 but she had refuted all allegations of being a conduit, according to The Hindu.