Atish Chandra Assumes Charge as Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
02 March 2026, New Delhi: Atish Chandra, IAS, has assumed charge as Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India, with effect from February 28, 2026.
A 1994-batch Indian Administrative Service officer of the Bihar cadre, Atish Chandra brings over three decades of administrative and policy experience across agriculture, rural development, disaster management, and governance. Originally from Uttar Pradesh, he holds a First Class Graduation and Post-Graduation degree in Political Science from Delhi University.
He began his IAS career with probation in North Tripura district and served as Additional Project Director in Dhalai district, Tripura. Following his cadre transfer to Bihar in 1997, he held several key field assignments, including Sub-Divisional Officer in Saharsa and Deputy Development Commissioner in Madhepura. He went on to serve as District Magistrate in Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Gaya, Madhubani, Madhepura, and Vaishali districts, and later as Divisional Commissioner of the Kosi Division.
Trained in disaster management and the Incident Command System in Australia, he handled the 2008 Kosi floods in Madhepura district, one of the country’s major national disasters demonstrating strong crisis management capabilities.
Atish Chandra has significant exposure to the agriculture and allied sectors. He has served as Director Agriculture, Registrar Cooperatives, and Managing Director of the Bihar State Cooperative Milk Federation, gaining deep insight into farm policy, cooperatives, and dairy sector management. His tenure as Chairman of the Bridge Construction Corporation and Commissioner of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme further strengthened his understanding of rural infrastructure and livelihood programs.
For nearly eight years, he served as Secretary to the Chief Minister of Bihar, contributing to major policy initiatives such as the Right to Public Service, Right to Redressal of Public Grievances, Agriculture Road Map, Mission Human Development, Good Governance programs, the Seven Resolves, and Bihar Vikas Mission. As Secretary, Information & Public Relations, he played a key role in disseminating government policies and programs.
Prior to his new assignment, he served as Chairman and Managing Director of the Food Corporation of India since March 2021 in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary. He also held the additional charge of Chairman of the Central Warehousing Corporation, overseeing food grain storage and logistics operations.
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