Kolkata: Veteran civil servant and former Finance Secretary, Sunil Mitra, has passed away, prompting tributes from former colleagues and friends across the civil services.
In a heartfelt Facebook post, former IAS officer Jawhar Sircar, Mitra’s batchmate in the West Bengal cadre, remembered him as a “thorough gentleman” who was genial with one and all. Mitra studied at Modern School and Hindu College in Delhi and cleared the Indian Administrative Service examination on his first attempt, stated Sircar.
He recalled working closely with Mitra in the Government of India between 1986 and 1991, when both served as Directors—Mitra in Defence and Sircar in Commerce. During this period, Mitra later had a foreign posting in Moscow.
Back in West Bengal, Mitra served as Secretary in key departments, including Public Enterprises and Power, contributing to policy reforms. He returned to the Centre in 2010 as Disinvestment Secretary, later becoming Revenue Secretary and, in June 2011, Finance Secretary of the Government of India. After retirement, he served on the boards of several leading companies. He is survived by his wife, Chandra and daughter Nilanjana.