In a significant bureaucratic reshuffle ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, the Bihar government has appointed senior IAS officer Pratyaya Amrit as the next Chief Secretary of Bihar. A 1991-batch officer, Amrit will succeed Amrit Lal Meena, a 1989-batch officer, who is set to retire on August 31, 2025.
According to an official notification by the General Administration Department, Amrit has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Chief Secretary’s Office and will formally assume charge on September 1.
Currently serving as Development Commissioner, Amrit also holds additional charge as Additional Chief Secretary of the Health and Disaster Management Departments. His elevation comes at a crucial time, with the state gearing up for elections, and his appointment is seen as a move to ensure administrative stability during this politically sensitive period.
A trusted and long-time associate of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Pratyaya Amrit is widely regarded for his administrative acumen and reform-driven leadership. A native of Muzaffarpur, he has previously served as District Magistrate in Katihar, Saran, Simdega, and Chhapra, introducing impactful grassroots reforms and innovative public-private partnerships, especially in the healthcare sector.
His commitment to inclusive governance is well-known—he even learned Santhali, a tribal language, during his IAS probation to better engage with local communities in Dumka.
Amrit’s contributions to infrastructure and governance have earned him national recognition. In 2011, he became the only IAS officer in the country to receive the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration (Individual Category) for his turnaround of the near-defunct Bihar State Bridge Construction Corporation into a profit-making enterprise.
Between 2001 and 2006, he served on central deputation in New Delhi, which he ended voluntarily to return to Bihar and contribute to state development. He is also associated with public policy mentorship and is a mentor with the Vision India Foundation, a think tank promoting youth leadership in governance.
Amrit is married to Ratna, his classmate from Delhi University. They have two children—Apoorva Srivastava, a law graduate from NLIU Bhopal, and Anshumat Srivastava, a tennis player studying at Bryant University, USA.
The appointment signals a smooth transition of administrative leadership, with the outgoing Chief Secretary, Amrit Lal Meena, retiring at the end of August. With his proven track record, Pratyaya Amrit is expected to lead Bihar’s administrative machinery through a crucial electoral phase with integrity, innovation, and efficiency.