Patna: The Bihar government on March 31 made public the annual asset declarations of its IAS officers, offering a detailed look at the financial holdings of senior bureaucrats across departments.
Among the key revelations, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s officer on special duty, Gopal Singh, emerged as wealthier than the chief minister’s three secretaries — Anupam Kumar, Dr Chandrashekhar Singh and Kumar Ravi — with total assets valued at Rs 5.89 crore, including ancestral and jointly held properties.
The disclosures also highlight a recurring pattern: in several cases, spouses of officials hold substantial assets, often exceeding those of the officers themselves, particularly through investments in provident funds, mutual funds and precious metals.
Senior Officials And Their Declared Assets
Vinay Kumar, principal secretary (urban development and housing), reported among the highest assets, with a total of Rs 8.64 crore — including Rs 4.47 crore in movable assets and Rs 3.20 crore in immovable property. His family’s mutual fund investments stand at Rs 1.5 crore, alongside insurance cover of Rs 2.8 crore.
Robert L. Chongthu, principal secretary to governor, declared total assets of Rs 11.02 crore, comprising Rs 5.25 crore in movable and Rs 5.77 crore in immovable assets.
Pankaj Kumar Pal, secretary (road construction) reported assets worth Rs 10.43 crore, including Rs 6.28 crore in movable assets and Rs 4.15 crore in immovable property.
Santosh Kumar Mall, principal secretary, (Water Resources) declared total assets of Rs 6.43 crore, including agricultural land in Chhapra and substantial gold holdings within the family.
Kundan Kumar, secretary (Industries)reported assets of Rs 3.34 crore, including jewellery weighing around 1,000 grams held by family members.
Arvind Kumar Chaudhary, additional chief secretary (Home) declared assets worth Rs 2.31 crore, while Anand Kishor reported holdings of Rs 2.36 crore.
Additional Disclosures And Notable Entries
Anupam Kumar, secretary (CMO and Information & Public Relations) reported total assets of approximately Rs 2.89 crore, including assets held in the child’s name. His wife, Pratima S. Verma, is also an IAS officer, and the family owns two flats in Bengaluru.
Kumar Ravi, secretary (CMO and building construction) declared assets worth Rs 2.91 crore, including 8.38 acres of agricultural and residential land.
Ajay Kumar, secretary (Prohibition, Excise & Registration) reported Rs 14.44 lakh in movable assets, along with non-agricultural land held in his wife’s name. He owns 10 grams of gold, while his wife holds 85 grams of gold and 400 grams of silver.
Vijayalakshmi, additional chief secretary (planning and development)declared total assets of Rs 4.49 crore, including both movable and immovable assets, along with jewellery weighing approximately 1,250 grams. She also carries a debt of Rs 1.25 crore.
Bandana Preyashi, secretary (Social Welfare) reported Rs 2.20 crore in movable assets, along with ancestral agricultural land in Sitamarhi and residential properties in Patna and Ghaziabad. The declaration does not include movable assets worth over Rs 3.03 crore held in her husband’s name, nor the market value of his properties in Ghazipur and Noida.
Chandrashekhar Singh, secretary (CMO) declared total assets of Rs 2.22 crore, including holdings in the names of his wife and children. The total includes 1,375 grams of gold received as gifts.
Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit reported movable assets of Rs 4.07 crore, excluding the value of land in Muzaffarpur and a flat in Gurgaon. The declaration includes assets held jointly with his wife, with the couple possessing approximately 1 kg of gold.
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Diverse Financial Profiles
The declarations reveal a wide range of financial profiles. Ravindran Sankaran, director general, Bihar State Sports Authority, reported assets of Rs 2.91 crore, including multiple residential properties and 611 grams of gold.
Divesh Sehra, secretary (rural works) declared assets of Rs 90.67 lakh, while Md. Suhail, secretary (minority welfare) reported Rs 58.14 lakh in movable assets along with land holdings and precious metals.
C.K. Anil, principal secretary (Revenue and land reforms), declared comparatively modest assets of Rs 35.44 lakh, including ancestral property in Khagaria.
Patna district magistrate Thyagarajan S.M. reported assets worth Rs 79.34 lakh, while SSP Karthikeya K. Sharma declared total assets of Rs 2.97 crore.
Investments, Gold And Property
Across the board, officials reported significant investments in bonds, shares, provident funds and mutual funds. Gold holdings — often in the names of spouses — featured prominently, with some families declaring jewellery weighing several hundred grams or more.
Lokesh Kumar Singh, secretary (health) reported joint investments with his wife along with agricultural land holdings, while Abhay Kumar Singh, secretary (Food and Consumer Protection) declared assets worth Rs 3.91 crore, including a flat in Delhi.
DGP Vinay Kumar reported assets worth Rs 1.06 crore, including movable and immovable holdings shared with family members.
Officials said the disclosures, updated between February 10 and February 12, are part of mandated transparency measures aimed at ensuring accountability in public service.
