Nripendra Misra

Nripendra Misra spent his career in government, entering the IAS in 1967 and being assigned to the Uttar Pradesh cadre. He was named for the Padma Bhushan in 2021 in the field of civil service, from Uttar Pradesh ^[1].

Education

Misra was born on 8 March 1945 ^[2]. He took postgraduate degrees in chemistry and political science from the University of Allahabad, with distinction, and joined public service at 22 ^[2]. In 1980–81 he earned a master’s in public administration at Harvard ^[2].

In Uttar Pradesh

In 1971 the UP government gave him its best officers’ award for district work on food safety and wheat procurement ^[2]. As chairman of the state’s land development bank federation he reorganised struggling cooperatives and improved loan recovery, work praised by the Reserve Bank of India ^[2]. As principal secretary (finance) he computerised the treasury, reworked excise and tax policy and brought in zero-based budgeting, and the township of Greater Noida was planned under his chairmanship ^[2].

In Delhi

In the Ministry of Commerce he handled international trade, leading negotiating teams to the European Union and the World Trade Organization, including in the Doha round ^[2]. He was Union fertilisers secretary and later telecom secretary ^[2]. He went on to chair the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, and served as Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ^[2].

At the time of the award he chaired the construction committee of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple trust and the executive council of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library ^[2].