Patna: Bihar has a new Chief Secretary, Pratyaya Amrit, meeting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar shortly after taking charge. Amrit succeeds Amritlal Meena, who retired on August 31 after not receiving an extension.
The state government had approved Amrit’s appointment a month ago, with the official notification issued in advance. A 1991-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, Amrit is considered one of Nitish Kumar’s closest bureaucratic allies. He has previously been credited with spearheading major initiatives in roads, electricity, and health in Bihar.
Born on July 7,1967 in Hathua, Gopalganj district, Amrit comes from a family with a strong academic and administrative background. His father, Dr. Ripu Sudan Srivastava, headed Langat Singh College in Muzaffarpur and later served as vice-chancellor of Jaiprakash University, Chapra. His mother, Kavita Verma, was a Hindi professor at the same college. Amrit’s wife, Dr. Ratna Srivastava, is a professor at AN College, Patna, and the couple has two children. Several family members, including his sister, brother-in-law, and father-in-law, are also IAS officers.
A graduate of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, Amrit has served as district magistrate in Katihar, Chapra, and Jehanabad. He first gained attention for implementing a public-private partnership model at a hospital in Katihar, and later played a key role in Bihar’s governance under the NDA government led by Nitish Kumar.
Amrit takes office at a politically sensitive time, with assembly elections approaching. Observers will be watching closely to see how he manages the administrative machinery during the poll period.
