Who is Pratyaya Amrit? Bihar's new Chief Secretary is a 'changemaker', trusted Nitish aide

Pratyaya Amrit, a 1991-batch IAS officer, will take charge as the new Chief Secretary of Bihar.

The Bihar government on Monday announced the appointment of 1991-batch IAS officer Pratyaya Amrit as the new Chief Secretary of Bihar. Pratyaya, who currently serves as Bihar Development Commissioner, succeeds Amrit Lal Meena who retires on August 31 on the post. The appointment comes into effect on September 1.

The appointment assumes significance in view of the upcoming Assembly elections in the state which are due to be held in October-November this year. Pratyaya also holds additional charge of Additional Chief Secretary, health and disaster management, besides serving as the Development Commissioner.

Born to academician parents in Muzaffarpur with roots in Bharatpura village in Bihar's Gopalganj, Pratyaya Amrit grew up in a scholarly household. His father, Dr. Ripusudan Srivastava, was a professor of philosophy and head of department at Langat Singh College, later serving as Vice Chancellor of Jai Prakash University, Chapra. His mother, Dr. Kavita Verma, was a Hindi professor at the same college. Amrit completed his post-graduation in History and cracked the Civil Services in 1991.

Amrit began his administrative career with district postings in sensitive areas like Katihar, Chapra, and Jehanabad. His model PPP-run district hospital in Katihar remains a benchmark in public health. Known for his direct public outreach, decisive action, and solution-oriented style, he quickly made a mark as a people’s officer.

However, his career took decisive turn when Nitish Kumar came to power in the state for the first time in 2005 and recalled Pratyaya, then on central deputation, to Bihar the next year and tasked him with reviving the Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam, which he turned around brought back focus on quality, timelines, and transparency.

The achievement earned him the Prime Minister’s Excellence Award in 2011 during the tenure of Dr. Manmohan Singh. He was the only IAS officer picked for the award in the individual category.

The move, a blessing for Nitish, made Pratyaya synonymous with Bihar's reforms story. From infrastructure to electricity and healthcare, Pratyaya soon became the go-to man for Nitish Kumar who was then working to transform the state on mission mode.

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.

Pratyaya's role also came under focus during the Covid-19 pandemic when he was handed charge of the Health department amid intense scrutiny of Bihar’s healthcare system. Pratyaya is credited with strengthening the state's pandemic response despite limited resources, accelerating testing, vaccination, and hospital preparedness and proving his mettle in crisis management.

Beyond the files, Pratyaya is credited with decorating power office buildings with artwork and banning vulgar dance performances at the famed Sonepur Mela.

A known face in Bihar's public service, Pratyaya's sister Pragya Richa is also a 1991-batch IPS officer. His brother-in-law Manu Srivastava is also a 1991-batch IAS officer. His wife, Dr. Ratna Srivastava, a professor at Patna’s A.N. College, has been appointed as the college’s next principal. Her father too served as an IAS officer.