The Bihar government on Saturday (31.08.2024) appointed senior IAS officer Amrit Lal Meena (IAS:1989:BH) as the new Chief Secretary of the state and he has taken charge of the post. He replaces incumbent Brijesh Mehrotra (IAS:1989:BH), who retired from the service on August. On Friday late evening, the central government repatriated Meena from central deputation to parent cadre of Bihar, where he was serving as Union Coal Secretary.
Meena will have one year tenure as Chief Secretary, with his retirement date set for August 31, 2025. He is returning to parent cadre after three years. In September 2021, the Bihar government relieved him for his assignment with the central government as Additional Secretary, (Logistics), Department of Commerce, Commerce and Industries Ministry.
Amrit Lal Meena is considered one of the close officers of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He has served in various key positions in the state over a long period. He was in the Chief Minister’s Office and served as Principal Secretary to CM Nitish Kumar. He has served as the Principal Secretary and Additional Chief Secretary of important departments such as Rural Development, Agriculture, and Road Construction. At one time, he also served as Private Secretary to the Union Minister for Rural Development, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh.
This is the second time in recent times that an IAS officer has been recalled from central deputation and appointed Chief Secretary. Earlier, Deepak Kumar (IAS:1984:BH) was brought back from central deputation, initially appointed as the Development Commissioner, and then made the Chief Secretary.
