Patna: An analysis of recent asset declarations by senior Bihar administrative officials on Tuesday has revealed a notable pattern: in several cases, their spouses hold significantly greater wealth in terms of savings, investments and assets.
The disclosures, updated between February 10 and February 12, 2026, provide a detailed snapshot of financial holdings across top bureaucratic positions.
Chief Secretary’s Assets Show Modest Holdings
Pratyaya Amrit, the chief secretary of Bihar, reported relatively modest personal holdings. He declared Rs 15,400 in cash and approximately Rs 5.5 lakh in bank deposits. His investments in mutual funds stand at around Rs 3.15 lakh.
Amrit owns an old Maruti Esteem car and about 20 grams of gold. His immovable assets include a share in ancestral land in Muzaffarpur and a 1,500 sq ft plot in Gurgaon. The total estimated value of his assets is about Rs 16.79 lakh, while he also carries a bank loan of approximately Rs 42 lakh. He paid around Rs 9.48 lakh in income tax last year.
Wife’s Portfolio Significantly Higher
In contrast, his wife’s financial portfolio is substantially larger. She holds Rs 10,450 in cash and about Rs 51 lakh in bank deposits. Her investments include Rs 22 lakh in a provident fund account and nearly Rs 3.15 crore in a public provident fund.
She also possesses approximately 970 grams of gold and 3 kilograms of silver, indicating a far stronger asset base.
Similar Trends Across Other Senior Officials
A similar disparity is visible in the case of R.L. Chongthu. While Chongthu has about Rs 3 lakh in bank deposits, his wife Jasleen holds roughly Rs 8 lakh and has invested nearly Rs 1.27 crore in her public provident fund.
Chongthu’s assets include vehicles such as a Maruti Ertiga, a Maruti Brezza and a Royal Enfield motorcycle.
The asset declaration of IPRD Secretary Anupam Kumar also reflects a similar pattern. He reported Rs 5,000 in cash and total deposits of around Rs 37 lakh across bank accounts, PPF and NPS.
His wife, Pratima Satish Kumar Verma, also an IAS officer, declared Rs 25,000 in cash and deposits exceeding Rs 36 lakh across her bank and provident fund accounts.
The disclosures collectively point to a broader trend in which spouses of senior officials often hold higher-value financial assets, particularly in long-term savings instruments such as provident funds and in precious metals.
