Amit Mitra

Dr. Amit Mitra is an Indian economist and politician who served as Special Advisor to Chief Minister of West Bengal on Finance. Previously, he was the Finance, Commerce & Industries Minister of the government of Indian state of West Bengal. He was the incumbent MLA in the West Bengal state assembly from the Khardaha state assembly constituency. He was referred to as a giant killer in the 2011 West Bengal state assembly election for defeating Asim Dasgupta, the former West Bengal Finance Minister. Mitra previously served as the Secretary general of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Family Son of Haridas Mitra, an independence activist and former Deputy Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly and Bela Mitra. His maternal grandfather was Suresh Chandra Bose, elder brother of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Both Suresh Chandra Bose and Haridas Mitra were part of the secret service team of Azad Hind Fauj. Bela Mitra took charge of the secret service of Azad Hind Fauj from Haridas Mitra. Belanagar railway station in Howrah district on the Howrah-Bardhaman chord line, is named after her.

Education Mitra went to Calcutta Boys' School and graduated from Presidency College when it was an affiliate of the University of Calcutta with a degree in Economics. He was a notable debater in West Bengal inter-college debate competitions. Mitra received a Masters from the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi and, in 1978, a PhD from Duke University in the USA.

Early career He taught at Duke University and Franklin & Marshall College for over a decade before returning to India. He received the prestigious Sears-Roebuck Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching, 1990.

He joined the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and rose to be its secretary-general. During his tenure, he transformed FICCI into a professional organisation to research and formulate India's policy during its economic liberalisation. The number of conferences organised by FICCI rose from 10 to 500 between 1994 and 2011 and its revenues saw an increase from Rs 3 crore to Rs 110 crore during the period Dr. Mitra presided over its activities.

Political career Amit Mitra joined All India Trinamool Congress on the invitation of Mamata Banerjee and contested during the state assembly election of 2011 from the Khardaha state assembly constituency. He was attributed a giant killer after the election as he defeated state Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta by a margin of 26,154 votes. Asim Dasgupta was elected from the Khardaha constituency previously five times in a row during the state assembly elections of 1987, 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2006.

Amit Mitra was sworn in as a minister on 20 May 2011 and was given the Finance and Excise portfolio.

Amit Mitra has opined that the ‘minimal capital expenditure’ made over a long period by the state government has led to the state of bankruptcy. He feels that the state's financial condition can be improved with a flow of investments and expansion of the state's existing industrial units.

Awards Amit Mitra is a Padma Shree Award recipient from Government of India in 2008. He was awarded the 'Order of the Rising Sun' in 2005 by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, Mitra's contribution towards promotion of friendly relations between India and Japan. He is also the recipient of highest civilian Awards conferred by President of the Republic of Italy in 2007.