After Donning Many Hats, Amit Khare Gears Up For Another Key Role As Secretary to Vice President

The 64 year-old Khare, known for his experience and agility, has spent about four years as Advisor at the Prime Minister’s Office prior to this appointment. Most importantly, Khare is known to be a ‘doer’.

Khare, who has wore several hats, is known in the bureaucratic circles. 

Khare And His Achievements

Among his many achievements, Khare is known for giving shape to the National Education Policy 2020. His also helped in generating public response and buidling consensus for the draft policy before thrashing out the final proposal. 

The NEP, in many ways is considered a path-breaking reform in the education sector. The policy was aimed at making the country’s learning process more goal oriented. The NEP has also injected a fair dose of flexibility in course and curriculum structures with a focus on skill development.  

In 2021, after retirement, Khare was appointed as Advisor to the PMO. In 2024 even after the Lok Sabha Elections and in the NDA 3.0, he continued as Advisor at PMO. This helped in continuity and decision making process.

Between 2008 and 2014 under the UPA, Khare served as joint secretary in the Human Resource Development Ministry, which has now been renamed the Education Ministry. In 2018, he was appointed Higher Education and School Education Secretary.

During his posting in his cadre state – first in united Bihar and then in Jharkhand, Khare had held various assignments, as he had served as Collector and Deputy Commissioner of four districts - Darbhanga, Begusarai, West Singhbhum (Chaibasa) and Patna.

During his long and illustrious career, he also acquired acclaim for his role in bringing to light the infamous ‘Fodder Scam’ of Bihar in 1996 as the then Deputy Commissioner of West Singhbhum (Chaibasa), where he had also launched an ‘Anti-Superstition Campaign’ to save women, particularly widows, from harassment due to prevalence of alleged concept of witchcraft in the society, which later led the Bihar assembly to pass a legislation against the social evil.

Besides his penchant for working in the social sector, Khare also had long experience in serving in the Finance departments. He was Secretary, Board of Revenue, Bihar, the first Commissioner of Commercial Taxes of Jharkhand, Additional Finance Commissioner, Jharkhand and Principal Secretary and Additional Chief Secretary, Finance & Planning Department, Jharkhand.

Khare is an alumnus of New Delhi's St Stephen’s College and IIM, Ahmedabad.

Sources said that the appointment of Khare as Secretary to Vice President will smoothen operations, something which came under question after Dhankhar’s resignation.

Last week, CP Radhakrishnan was sworn in as Vice President of India after the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar.