Amit Khare Wiki, Age, Caste, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Amit Khare is an Indian civil servant who retired as an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer in September 2021. In October 2021, he was appointed as advisor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Khare is best known for exposing the Fodder scam in Bihar in the late 90s and implementing the new National Education Policy (NEP) in 2020.

Wiki/Biography

Amit Khare was born on Thursday, 14 September 1961 (age 60 years; as of 2021) in Jharkhand. While growing up in Ranchi, he attended Kendriya Vidyalaya, Hinoo. For higher education, Khare went to Delhi and attended St. Stephen’s College, where he earned a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Physics. Later, he attended the IIM-Ahmedabad, where he earned an MBA degree in management. He also holds a Certificate in Public Administration from Syracuse University, New York.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 5″

Eye Colour: Dark Brown

Hair Colour: Salt & Pepper

Family & Caste

Amit Khare belongs to a Chitraguptvanshi Kayastha family in Jharkhand.

Parents & Siblings

Amit Khare’s elder brother, Atul Khare, is a 1984 batch Indian Foreign Service officer who has served the United Nations in various capacities including the Under-Secretary General for Operational Support UN Department of Operational Support.

Wife

Amit Khare is married to Nidhi Khare who is a 1992 batch Indian Administrative Service officer from Jharkhand.

Career

Amit Khare was selected in the Indian Administrative Service in 1985. Soon after clearing the UPSC examination, he underwent training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie. On 1 September 1987, Amit Khare was posted as Assistant Collector in Bihar; it was his first posting as an IAS officer. Later, he served the state and union governments in various capacities including District Collector of Patna, Joint Secretary of Information & Broadcasting, etc. On 30 September 2021, Amit Khare retired as Secretary M/o Education D/o Higher Education. On 12 October 2021, he was appointed as advisor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for two years on a contract basis.

Fodder Scam

Exposing the Fodder scam in Bihar is the main highlight of Amit Khare’s career. In the late 90s, he exposed the Fodder scam that involved the embezzlement of more than Rs. 940 crores. While serving as the DC for West Singhbhum, where he served from April 1995 to January 1997, Khare found cash irregularities at the district animal husbandry department. During the investigation, he found that two separate amounts of Rs. 10 crore and Rs. 9 crores were embezzled from the district animal husbandry department, and even after multiple inquiries, there was no response from the department, and that is when he smelled a rat. In January 1996, Amit Khare paid a visit to the animal husbandry department, where he noted that some crucial files were destroyed by someone in hurry. He observed similar patterns when he conducted raids in Ranchi and elsewhere the next day. Following the investigation and trials, two successive chief ministers, Jagannath Mishra and Lalu Yadav, were imprisoned for their involvement in the scam. Khare talked about the scam in a column that he wrote in 2017 in  which he wrote,

I did not waste my time thinking of my career or of my family, or of my future. Otherwise, I would not have been able to take the decision of starting the inquiry into fodder scam.”

He added,

Then why did I do it? The answer is that most of us joined the civil services as a career with a dream of making a new India. And as deputy commissioner, who is the administrative head of the district, it was my duty.”

Positions Held

• Advisor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi (October 2021 – October 2023)

• Secretary M/o Education D/o Higher Education (16 December 2019 – 30 September 2021)

• Secretary Information & Broadcasting (31 May 2018 – 16 December 2019)

• Additional Chief Secretary Banking/Finance (31 March 2016 – 17 May 2018)

• Principal Secretary Finance (8 April 2015 – 31 March 2016)

• Member Secretary Chemicals & Fertilizers/Chemicals & Fertilizers (29 August 2014 – 7 April 2015)

• Joint Secretary Higher Education/Human Resource Development (28 August 2008 – 28 August 2014)

• Principal Secretary to Governor of Jharkhand Ved Marwah (18 February 2004 – 27 August 2008)

• Joint Secretary Elementry Education/Human Resource Development (15 September 2002 – 17 February 2004)

• Joint Secretary Information/Information & Broadcasting (15 September 2002 – 6 December 2003)

• Finance Commissioner Joint Secretary (1 August 2001 – 14 September 2002)

• Commissioner Commercial Taxes/Finance (25 November 2000 – 1 August 2001)

• District Collector and District Magistrate, Patna (1 March 2000 – 25 November 2000)

• Director Elementry Education/Human Resource Development (1 June 1999 – 1 March 2000)

• Secretary Revenue/Finance (1 April 1999 – 1 June 1999)

• District Collector and District Magistrate, Patna (1 February 1999 – 1 April 1999)

• Secretary Revenue/Finance (1 December 1998 – 1 February 1999)

• Controller Education/Human Resource Development (1 January 1997 – 1 December 1998)

• District Collector and District Magistrate, West Singhbhum (Chaibassa) (1 April 1995 – 1 January 1997)

• Additional Secretary Administrative Reforms/Personnel and General Administration (1 May 1995 – 1 April 1995)

• District Collector and District Magistrate, Darbhanga (1 April 1992 – 1 May 1994)

• Deputy Development Commissioner (1 December 1989 – 1 April 1992)

• Joint Secretary Liaison/Protocol/Personnel and General Administration (1 August 1989 – 1 December 1989)

• Assistant Collector (1 September 1987 – 1 August 1989)

Training Received

In 1996-1997, Amit Khare received Public Policy Analysis training at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. Between 2002 and 2003, he was trained for Basic Course on WTO at Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad. In 2003-2004, he underwent training in E-Governance & its Benefits at Tata Management Training Centre, Pune.

Salary

Amit Khare receives Rs. 2.25 lakh per month as Secretary to the Union Government.

Facts/Trivia

• In high school, Amit Khare topped the school in 1977; he secured 79.3 percent marks. His elder brother, Atul Khare, had performed even better by securing 85.8 percent marks; Atul topped Kendriya Vidyalayas throughout India in 1975.

• It is believed that Khare has more interest in the education sector, and while serving as the State Elementary Education Secretary, he made significant contributions in the sector. Additionally, he was one of the key persons in introducing the National Education Policy 2020 that was later approved by the cabinet on 29 July 2020.

• Amit Khare also brought revolutionary changes to the area of Information and Broadcasting while he was serving as Secretary of Information and Broadcasting.

• He is also considered the key person who introduced the combined medical and engineering entrance examination in Bihar in 1997.

• According to Amit Khare, the attributes like honesty and fearlessness have played major roles in his life, and he inherits these attributes from his school principal R. R. Prasad. Khare says,
  

  I learnt about honesty and fearlessness from my school principal R.R. Prasad. Honesty begets good results. It’s my own learning from life.”