Amit Mitra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Amit Mitra
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Mitra in 2011
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| Cabinet Minister Government of West Bengal |
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| In office 2011 - 2021 |
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| Governor | M. K. Narayanan D. Y. Patil Keshari Nath Tripathi Jagdeep Dhankhar |
| Department |
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| Chief Minister | Mamata Banerjee |
| Preceded by |
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| Succeeded by |
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| Member of West Bengal Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 2011–2021 |
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| Preceded by | Asim Dasgupta |
| Succeeded by | Kajal Sinha (posthumously) |
| Constituency | Khardaha |
| Principal Advisor(Cabinet Rank) Chief Minister of West Bengal |
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| Assumed office 10 Nov 2021 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 December 1947 Calcutta, West Bengal, India |
| Political party | All India Trinamool Congress |
| Spouse | Meera Balakrishnan |
| Children | 1 daughter |
| Relatives | Bela Mitra (mother) Haridas Mitra (father) |
| Alma mater | Presidency College, Kolkata (B.A.) University of Delhi (M.A.) Duke University (Ph.D.) |
| Occupation | Economist Politician |
Amit Mitra is an Indian economist and politician. He is currently a special advisor to the Chief Minister of West Bengal on money matters. Before this, he was a minister in the government of West Bengal, handling important areas like finance, business, and industries.
He was also a MLA for the Khardaha area in West Bengal. In the 2011 state election, he won against Asim Dasgupta, who was the finance minister before him. Mr. Mitra also used to be the Secretary General of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), which is a big group for businesses in India.
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Family Background
Amit Mitra's family has a strong connection to India's fight for freedom. His father, Haridas Mitra, was an activist who worked for India's independence. He also served as a Deputy Speaker in the West Bengal Assembly.
His mother, Bela Mitra, was also an important part of the independence movement. She even took charge of a secret service team for the Azad Hind Fauj, which was an army formed by Indian nationalists. A railway station in West Bengal, Belanagar railway station, is named after her.
Amit Mitra's maternal grandfather, Suresh Chandra Bose, was the elder brother of the famous leader Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Both Suresh Chandra Bose and Haridas Mitra were part of the secret service team of the Azad Hind Fauj.
Education and Learning
Amit Mitra went to Calcutta Boys' School for his early education. He then studied Economics at Presidency College, which was part of the University of Calcutta at the time. He was known for being a great debater in college competitions.
Later, he earned a Master's degree from the Delhi School of Economics at the University of Delhi. In 1978, he received his PhD from Duke University in the USA. Duke University lists him as one of its notable former students.
Early Career and Work
Before returning to India, Mr. Mitra taught at Duke University and Franklin & Marshall College for more than ten years. He even received a special award for excellent teaching in 1990.
He then joined the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), a large business organization. He became its Secretary General. He left this role in 2011 after being elected as a state assembly representative.
During his time at FICCI, he helped change it into a professional group that researched and shaped India's economic policies. Under his leadership, the number of conferences FICCI held grew a lot, and its income also increased significantly.
He also served as a director for Steel Authority of India Ltd for three years. At the request of Mamata Banerjee, who was the railway minister then, he led a team to create business plans for railway projects that involved both government and private companies. He was also part of government committees that advised on the World Trade Organization and national manufacturing.
Political Journey
Amit Mitra joined the All India Trinamool Congress party after being invited by Mamata Banerjee. He ran in the 2011 West Bengal state assembly election for the Khardaha area. He was called a "giant killer" because he won against Asim Dasgupta, who had been the state's Finance Minister and had won from Khardaha five times before.
On May 20, 2011, Amit Mitra became a minister and was given the important jobs of Finance and Excise. He believes that the state's financial problems were caused by not spending enough money on development for a long time. He thinks that getting more investments and growing existing industries can help improve the state's financial health.
Awards and Recognition
Amit Mitra has received several important awards for his work:
- In 2008, he received the Padma Shree Award from the Government of India. This is one of India's highest civilian honors.
- In 2005, the Japanese government gave him the Order of the Rising Sun. This award recognized his efforts in building friendly relations between India and Japan.
- In 2007, he also received the highest civilian award from the President of Italy.
