Cabinet Minister and Finance, Commerce & Industries Minister in Government of West Bengal
NAME – Amit Kumar Mitra
PROFESSION– Economist and Politician
BORN – 20/12/1947
PLACE OF BIRTH – Calcutta, West Bengal, India
FATHER’S NAME – Haridas Mitra,
MOTHER’S NAME – Bela Mitra
SPOUSE – Meera Balakrishnan
SIBLINGS – N/A
CHILDREN – 1
EDUCATION –
Graduated from Presidency College, the University of Calcutta with a degree in Economics
MA (Economics) from Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University
Ph.D. (Economics) from Duke University, USA
POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS/PARTY- All India Trinamool Congress
OFFICIAL WEBSITE –N/A
REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT–
The Japanese government awarded the `Order of the Rising Sun’ to Amit Mitra in 2005 by the Emperor of Japan. The award was presented as he contributed to the promotion of friendly relations between India and Japan. He became the recipient of the highest civilian award conferred by the President of the Republic of Italy in 2007. He also received the Sears-Roebuck Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1990.
AWARDS –
Amit Mitra was awarded Padma Shree by the Government of India in the year 2008.
BACKGROUND –
Amit Mitra taught at Duke University and Franklin & Marshall College for over a decade before he politics. He returned to India and joined the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and was promoted to be its secretary-general.
During his tenure, he transformed FICCI into a professional organization to research and formulate India’s policy during its economic liberalization besides increasing its revenue. He resigned from the post of General Secretary in 2011 so that he can contest in the West Bengal election in 2011.
Amit Mitra joined the All India Trinamool Congress after he was invited by Mamata Banerjee. He contested during the West Bengal assembly election of 2011 from the Khardaha constituency and defeated state Finance Minister, Asim Dasgupta by a margin of 27,154 votes.
Asim Dasgupta was elected from the Khardaha constituency five times in a row in the West Bengal assembly elections of 1987, 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2006. Mitra was sworn in as a minister on May 20, 2011, and was given the portfolio of Finance and Excise.
He got re-elected as a Member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly in 2016 as well but now he also got appointed as the cabinet minister in the government of West Bengal.
MAJOR INITIATIVES– N/A
CAREER TIMELINE/ POSITIONS HELD –
1990 – He taught as a professor at Duke University and Franklin & Marshall College for over a decade before returning to India
2000- Joined FICCI
2011- Elected as a member of West Bengal assembly election from the Khardaha constituency
2013- Appointed as Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise and Textile Minister (West Bengal)
2014- Appointed as Minister of Commerce and Industries
2016- Elected as a member of West Bengal assembly election from the Khardaha constituency
2016- Appointed as the Cabinet Minister in Government of West Bengal
CONTROVERSIES/CASES –
Amit Mitra alleged that his voice was muzzled at GST Council Meeting on 12/06/2021 by Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharam.
The GST Council’s move to retain tax levies on COVID relief materials was objected by him as a totally anti-people decision but Nirmala Sitharam paid no heed to his objection. He also claims that while he was objecting, the Secretary closed the meeting and cut off the virtual link.