Pratyaya Amrit to be Bihar’s new Chief Secretary; know about his education, family background

Pratyaya Amrit, a 1991-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer who is currently holding the post of development commissioner, has been picked to be the new chief secretary of Bihar.

Amrit will replace Amrit Lal Meena (1989 batch IAS officer), who is scheduled to retire from service on August 31. He will assume charge on September 1.

As per a notification issued by the General Administration Department, Pratyaya Amrit will be posted as officer on special duty (OSD) in the office of chief secretary upto superannuation of Meena.

“Pratyaya Amrit, development commissioner with additional charge of additional chief secretary, health and disaster management is transferred and appointed chief secretary with effect from 1 September, 2025, in view of retirement of present chief secretary Amrit Lal Meena on 31 August, 2025,” the notification issued by Additional Chief Secretary, General Administration Department, B Rajinder stated.

Pratyaya Amrit’s appointment comes at a crucial time of state assembly elections. He is considered close to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Professional background

Presently, apart from holding the charge of the state’s development commissioner, Amrit is also holding the additional charge of additional chief secretary of the health and disaster management departments.

In his career, Pratyaya Amrit has handled many crucial assignments. He has been among the key IAS officers, including R K Singh (former Union minister) and Amir Subhani (former chief secretary), entrusted with boosting governance and overhauling infrastructure.

First as secretary of the road construction department and later as energy department secretary, Pratyaya Amrit has been instrumental in constructing major roads in Bihar, including the state government’s flagship Ganga Path and AIIMS-Digha flyover. Before the 2015 Assembly polls, the 1991-batch officer played a key role in strengthening power supply till village level in the state.

In 2011, Pratyaya Amrit was the only IAS officer picked by the government in the individual category for the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration.

During the Covid-19 second wave in 2021, he took over as Principal Secretary, Health Department, and played a key role in curbing the rise of new cases and containing the spread of the virus.

During his IAS probation in Dumka (now in Jharkhand), Amrit is said to have learnt Santhali, the local language, to build better connections with the people. As the subdivisional magistrate of Simdega, he busted gambling rackets.

While on central deputation, he was called back to Bihar to take charge of the Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Private Limited. The government organisation was on the verge of being liquidated. One man believed a turnaround is possible — Nitish Kumar and he bet on Mr Amrit to get this done. A bureaucrat who thrives in tight deadlines, Amrit oversaw the construction of 1,123 bridges across the state within seven years.

In 2011, Mr Amrit received the Prime Minister’s Excellence Award in Public Administration. The certificate read: “Bridging the gap: For turning around a dying Bihar State Bridge Construction Corporation into a profit-making unit.”

His next task was rural electrification. As Chairman and Managing Director of Bihar State Power Holding Company Limited, Amrit oversaw the electrification of nearly 40,000 villages.

Education of Pratyaya Amrit IAS

Pratyaya Amrit is an alumnus of Delhi University’s Hindu College. He completed his post-graduation in ancient history and topped the Delhi University.

Amrit was offered a lecturer’s job in Sri Venkateswara College, New Delhi. Six months later, Amrit cleared the UPSC Civil Service exams with history and psychology and bagged the Indian Police Service.

He was keen to join the IPS but his sister Praghya Richa, who had then qualified for Indian Information Service, egged him to take the exam next year also. In 1991 Prataya qualified for IAS and Praghya bagged an IPS position.

Family background

Pratyaya Amrit was born in Muzaffarpur. However, he is a native of Gopalganj district. His father, Ripusudan Srivastava, served as a college lecturer and former vice-chancellor of Bhupendra Narayan Mandal University and his mother, Kavita Verma, was also a lecturer.

Amrit’s sister, Pragya Richa, is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of 1991 batch. She is posted as ADG in Madhya Pradesh. His brother-in-law Manu Srivastava is also a 1991-batch IAS officer.

Amrit’s elder brother Pratik Priyadarshi is an associate professor in BIMTECH, Greater Noida.

Pratyaya Amrit married to Ratna Srivastava, who is a professor at A N College in Patna. They have a son and a daughter. Amrit’s daughter, Apoorva Srivastava has completed her graduation in Law from National Law Institute University, Bhopal. His son Anshumat Srivastava is studying in Bryant University, USA.