Dr. Amita Prasad is an IAS officer who feels that we should not worry about the future but just live the present beautifully.

Dr. Amita Prasad was born in Bhagalpur, Bihar. She is a 1985 batch IAS officer and is currently working as an Additional Chief Secretary in the Government of Karnataka.

Amita says that she takes care of the governance reforms, e-governance, coordinating meetings of various departments and looking after the administrative part of the government.

Amita says that she is blessed to have a family that she has. Birth of a girl child was not much celebrated in those times but her grandfather rejoiced and celebrated her birth. He used to say that Amita would be the ‘Torch Bearer’ of the family which did come true.

Amita shares that her academics and studies happened when India was buzzing by the talk of nation building. Everyone used to talk about doing something for the nation. In 1966, when Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister, every girl looked up to her and wanted to be like her. Amita says that her formative years saw a lot of optimism and positivity around her.

Amita shares that it was her father who sent her to Delhi for further studies. She pursued her M.A. there. Her father was a State PCS officer and wanted Amita to be an IAS. It was his dream and dedication that forced Amita to choose this path.

Amita says that her first posting was in West Bengal in 1987. She was around 25 at that time and shares that it was very difficult for her to actually convince people that she was their boss. She remembers that once a head clerk told her that the things were not done the way she wanted them to be done to which she vehemently opposed and replied that from then onwards things would have to be done her way and not the way they were being done till then. Amita says that a boss has to, time and again, emphasize the fact that they are the boss and their word matters.

Amita says that she has had many achievements in her long service. As a District Collector, she solved a twelve-year-old pending case of an old woman and the joy in the eyes of that old woman still touches Amita’s heart. The case was pending because it needed a four kilometer trek to reach that old lady’s village and no one before Amita had taken the pain to do so.

Amita says that her family has always been supportive to her. Her husband is a police officer himself but supported her by raising their kids. Her kids also never complained about things like changing schools and always being transferred.

Amita says that to come into this field, one has to have patience and good communication skills. She feels that with the advent of social media, you are under constant surveillance and being judged for every action of yours.

In her free time, she likes to watch movies with her friends, occasionally sing, visit historical places and read a lot of books.