Meet IAS Amit Kataria: The Officer Who Took Just Rs 1 Salary Despite Belonging To Crorepati Business Family
photoDetails english 2913631
The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) is one of India's most prestigious and competitive exams. It is conducted in three stages—Prelims, Mains, and Interview—to recruit candidates for top government posts like IAS, IPS, and IFS. Thousands apply each year, but only a few succeed in becoming civil servants.
In India, civil servants are regarded as celebrities, with millions admiring their UPSC success and celebrating their achievements as top-ranking bureaucrats. https://zeenews.india.com/photos/education/meet-ias-amit-kataria-the-officer-who-took-just-rs-1-salary-despite-belonging-to-crorepati-business-family-2913643 Updated:Jun 10, 2025, 11:18 AM IST Young IAS Officer
1 / 7
IAS Amit Kataria, a young officer from Gurugram, is known as one of the richest civil servants in the country. Interestingly, he initially chose to draw only Rs 1 as his salary. Well-established business family
2 / 7
Amit Kataria, hailing from a well-established business family in Gurugram, Haryana, chose a path of public service over joining his family's expansive real estate enterprise, which operates across Delhi-NCR with an annual turnover in crores. Amit Kataria Salary
3 / 7
Driven by a strong desire to serve the nation, Kataria initially drew a symbolic salary of just Rs 1 as an IAS officer, highlighting that his decision to join the civil services was guided by purpose, not profit. Breach of protocol
4 / 7
As per India.com, Amit Kataria made headlines in 2015 for an alleged breach of protocol when he was seen wearing black sunglasses during a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At that time, he was serving as the District Collector of the Naxal-affected Bastar region in Chhattisgarh. IAS officer Amit Kataria Net Worth
5 / 7
IAS officer Amit Kataria is believed to have a net worth of approximately Rs 8.90 crore, making him one of the wealthiest civil servants in the country, as per India.com. B.Tech in Electrical Engineering
6 / 7
Amit Kataria completed his schooling at Delhi Public School and went on to earn a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from the renowned IIT Delhi. All-India Rank
7 / 7
After graduating, Kataria started preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination and successfully cleared it in 2003 with an impressive All-India Rank (AIR) of 18. This achievement marked the beginning of his journey as an IAS officer, and he was allotted the Chhattisgarh cadre.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
29 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
In Maoist battle, a 6,000-strong force makes the difference
New Delhi : In August 2005, Basant K Ponwar moved from Mizoram to Chhattisgarh. At the time, Maoists had at least 106 districts in central and eastern India in their grip and were steadily expanding their menacing presence, prompting then prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2006 to call left-wing extremism (LWE) as the country's greatest internal security threat. The government's fight against the rebels was flailing, largely because Maoists were trained in jungle warfare and were picking up young boys and girls from villages to train them as child soldiers. In response, the government's bloated forces were unmotivated and unfamiliar with the forested terrain of southern Chhattisgarh. Growing frustration led to misadventures such as the Salwa Judum, a vigilante force that aimed to push back Maoists but ended up pillaging villages and torturing tribespeople, before being disbanded by the Supreme Court in 2011. The retired brigadier Ponwar, then the head of the army's Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School in Mizoram, took a different approach. The 1971 Indo-Pak war veteran brought his team and set up the elite Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School in Kanker, about 60km from Raipur. 'To fight in the jungle, you must live in the jungle. Make the jungle your friend. Police had to be reoriented in counter-Naxal operations through a rigorous 45-day programme,' Ponwar told HT. From this initiative was born Chhattisgarh's unique District Reserve Guard (DRG) force in 2007-08, that is at the core of the government's aggressive move to wipe out the decades-old insurgency by next spring. Since 2024, the 6,000-strong force, populated largely by tribal people and former Maoists, has pushed deeper into the Maoist heartland and made inroads into territories considered too hostile even five years ago. 'The locals, who knew the jungle, were formally inducted into the system and further trained in counter-insurgency. Over the years, the recruitment among Naxals also decreased because the local tribal youth would rather join the police,' added Ponwar. Today, DRG personnel are spread across seven Maoism-affected districts in Chhattisgarh, not tasked with regular law-and-order duties, focusing only on guerilla warfare suitable in the dense forests of Abujhmad. The force is involved in almost every key encounter, navigating IEDs, ramming through Maoist ambushes, engaging in gunfights, and guiding other security forces in jungles. This includes the takeover of the key Maoist base at Karregutta hills, a place where forces had never entered before, and the recent killing of top Maoist leader Nambala Keshav Rao or Basavaraju last month. 'DRG jawans are locals, who know the area and the terrain. Their training ensures that they can work in the toughest conditions. You need such brave local jawans, who are guerilla fighters. There is also a trust factor involved here. Locals trust the DRG personnel,' said Inspector General (Bastar Range) P Sundarraj, one of the first students at the institution. Ahead of the Centre's proposed deadline to end Maoism by March 31, 2026, the National Security Guard's black cat commandos are also conducting joint exercises with the DRG jawans. To understand why DRG was set up, go back to 2006-07. Retired bureaucrat Shivraj Singh, who was Chhattisgarh's chief secretary between 2007 and 2008, said the unit was first mooted after the Centre realised the gravity of left-wing extremism (LWE). 'The Maoist movement had spread throughout Chhattisgarh in the early 2000s. At that time, Maoists functioned like a Spartan Army by taking children and moulding them as soldiers. Local tribespeople were also fed up and approached the police with complaints about the abductions and how Maoists terrorised their village. Police were not adequately trained then as they were largely focused on guarding their posts. I remember then National Security Adviser MK Narayanan constantly telling the Centre how grave the problem had become,' he said. Singh said in meetings between the state and the home ministry, the government decided to build a specialised unit for guerilla warfare against Maoists. 'It started with the police identifying young constables who were residents of Maoist areas, and training them to be part of DRG. These young police officers knew the forest and were well-versed in the topography,' he added. Residents from LWE violence-affected districts are first recruited as constables. Those who show skills in guerilla warfare are handpicked to be in DRG and sent for rigorous training. To underscore their effectiveness, the Chhattisgarh government is now set to approve a proposal to induct around 3,000 more DRG personnel, marking the biggest recruitment in recent years of local tribal men and surrendered Maoists. The state government is also working to make the unit more lucrative by creating a new post of deputy superintendent so that its personnel do not remain stagnant at the inspector level, a senior Chhattisgarh home department official said, asking not to be named. Data on anti-Maoist operations seen by HT showed that between December 1, 2023, and May 20, 2025, at least 401 Maoists were killed in 199 gunfights and 1,355 rebels surrendered. Thirty-seven DRG jawans also died in the attacks. But gun battles are not the most important role of DRG. That would be guiding the forces into the Abhujmad, a 5,000 sq km expanse of uncharted forest spread across Chhattisgarh's four Maoism-affected districts. It is inside this swath of vast uncharted territory where top Maoist leaders traditionally reside, and where the fiercest battles have broken out over the past two years. DRG jawans, born and brought up in the villages within the forest, are the perfect guides to lead the forces inside, said a senior police officer, also requesting anonymity. Anant Ram, a DRG sub-inspector who joined the unit as a constable in 2009, said, 'Intelligence gathering is better when locals are part of the force. The residents are with us.' Another jawan, Binod Kumar, who joined DRG in 2018, said, 'I volunteered to be part of the DRG and was sent to counter-insurgency school. Before that, I had only done regular basic training. Now in DRG, I am proud to be part of a movement.' In the May 21 encounter where Basavaraju was killed, for example, it was the DRG men who broke three layers of his security cordon and killed him in a gunfight, said an additional SP rank officer, who asked not to be named. 'In that operation, around 1,500 DRG from four districts of Sukma, Dantewada, Bijapur and Narayanpur were involved. The only photograph of Basavaraju we had was over 30 years old as he was never arrested. Some DRG jawans, who were surrendered Maoists and had seen Basavaraju, confirmed his identity. DRG jawans not only knew the area but some of the surrendered Maoists were trained by rebels, so they know the antidote to ambush tactics,' said the officer involved in the operation. Chhattisgarh Police's additional director general, Vivekanand Sinha, said the role of locals in fighting is critical to counter any insurgency. 'DRG jawans are trained in guerilla warfare. They know how and where to move in the jungle. They know the modus operandi of the Maoists whether it is about improvised explosive devices planted everywhere or laying an ambush. When such jawans trained in guerilla warfare work in conjunction with the security forces, it is a formidable combination,' he said. Despite DRG's successes, concerns linger. The biggest among them is the memory of the Salwa Judum. Formed in 2005, Salwa Judum (or peace march in Gondi) was a state-sponsored vigilante force that comprised local tribesmen and former Maoists who were trained by police and given weapons to take part in counter-insurgency operations. But the force displaced large numbers of villagers and killed several people as part of extra judicial operations, accusing the victims of being Maoist collaborators. In July 2011, the Supreme Court declared the militia to be illegal and unconstitutional, and ordered its disbanding. Congress leader Mahendra Karma played a key role in organising the militia. He was killed in an ambush by Maoists in May 2013 along with 27 others, including then state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel and former minister Vidya Charan Shukla. 'This is just another armed force. You have just armed them and given them impunity,' said activist Bela Bhatia. But senior police officials underline that DRG is different. Unlike Salwa Judum, where locals were armed and trained by the state, DRG is a specialised unit of the state police. DRG jawans do not conduct operations independently and work directly under the district SP. 'Surrendered Maoists would be about 10% of the force. Salwa Judum was a vigilante group, DRG jawans are not. Surrendered militants go through a rigorous process of first working as gopniya sainiks (secret soldiers) with the police for several months. Based on their performance as informers, they are then trained and inducted as constables. DRG is also successful because Maoists are fighting the same people they had once trained,' a second officer said. Maoists fear DRG jawans, but the latter are also obvious targets. The first casualty in the encounter that killed Basavaraju was also DRG jawan Khotluram Korram. Another jawan, Ramesh Hemla died in an IED blast the following day. The battle is only going to get tougher. Ten months ahead of the March 31, 2026 deadline, there are still around 350 armed Maoist cadres who have refused to surrender. Young commanders such as Hidma and Barse Deva, are expected to put up a stiff fight. To prepare for this, the state government has started shifting DRG personnel in their mid to late 40s to police stations. The unit requires men with young blood, who can trek for 2-3 days in jungles, prepare their own meals, live there, engage in gunfights, and trek back to their base through the same route. This is life in DRG. 'Maoism will soon be a thing of the past. The state may not need so many DRG personnel in the coming years so the older ones are now being shifted to police stations. This is to ensure a smooth transition,' said a DRG person, who asked not to be named. The young jawan looks forward to a day when Chhattisgarh is no longer a red corridor. 'All of us are local tribespeople who have suffered. Our friends, and relatives were abducted by Maoists in the prime of their youth and forced into a life they did not choose. Not just that, we have seen our friends blown to pieces by IEDs planted by Maoists,' he said. For now, he has a job to do and it is personal. 'We have lost too many in this fight. We need to fight for them too,' he said.
Indian Express
29 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Signal-free flyover proposed to ease congestion on routes connecting South Delhi with Gurgaon and Noida
Not just during the peak hours, many key stretches in South Delhi witness traffic snarls throughout the day. The Central government has finally come up with a proposal to decongest such areas — a 20-km elevated corridor to connect prominent areas in South Delhi to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport and Gurgaon. The flyover will connect areas around AIIMS in South Delhi to Mahipalpur in Southwest Delhi. The bypass project will further be extended to the Gurgaon-Faridabad Road, said officials. The signal-free elevated corridor is estimated to cost around Rs 5,000 crore. 'At present, both Ring Road and Outer Ring Road are arterial routes, especially from Noida and Ghaziabad, for commuters travelling to Delhi airport and Gurgaon…These two stretches also provide connectivity between Noida via the DND flyway and Faridabad. Heavy traffic merges at NH-48, the Delhi-Gurgaon highway. So, traffic jams are witnessed daily,' said a senior official from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Officials said that the corridor will start from AIIMS and connect to Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj via Ring Road. At Nelson Mandela Marg, the Centre is planning to construct a 5-km-long tunnel, which will connect the airport and Dwarka Expressway. 'This corridor will be merged with a tunnel, and another corridor will be constructed towards Gurgaon and Faridabad Road,' said a senior NHAI official, adding, 'The elevated corridor from AIIMS to Nadira Marg, further connecting to Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road and Gurgaon-Faridabad Road, will act as a parallel corridor between Delhi and Gurgaon.' The projects, to be executed by the NHAI, were discussed in a meeting between Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and L-G Vinai Kumar Saxena last week. . The Inner Ring road that connects Noida via Ashram, DND flyway and the Outer Ring Road from Kalindi Kunj is surrounded by upscale areas like Lajpat Nagar, Maharani Bagh, Moolchand, South Extension, Nizamuddin, Greater Kailash, Panchsheel Enclave, Pamposh Enclave, Chirag Dilli, Nehru Place, CR Park and is largely used by residents of South Delhi. The upcoming corridor will be a major relief to residents, officials said. Officials said the estimated cost of this project is Rs 5,000 crore, but it will be finalised after a feasibility study is done. 'Once the feasibility study is done, the existing flyovers, underpasses and metro lines will also be studied. Then a decision will be taken to go for a complete elevated corridor or there will be elevated plus underground…These are routine processes done during any upcoming new project,' said the official. In 2019, the Public Works Department in Delhi had submitted a proposal for the bypass project. While the PWD was the executing agency, the funding was to be done by the Centre. The AIIMS-Mahipalpur elevated corridor project, however, did not take off due to the pandemic. The project is now on track, according to officials. 'Currently, the bids for preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR) have been invited, which are to be received by June 27,' said officials. This is one of the six other major upcoming infrastructure projects being planned by the Central government to decongest Delhi and improve connectivity between Delhi and neighbouring cities in NCR. Under these mega projects, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways also has a plan to construct an interchange at Kalindi Kunj intersection of Delhi-Noida Road and Agra Canal Road near Okhla Barrage. The 0.5 km stretch is expected to cost Rs 500 crore. Officials said that a feasibility study was conducted by PWD in Uttar Pradesh through the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) in November 2022 to address the traffic problems faced by the daily commuters using the Kalindi Kunj metro station and those travelling between Delhi, Noida, and Faridabad. 'In its report, CRRI recommended the construction of an interchange and flyovers at the Kalindi Kunj intersection to eliminate the conflict of traffic. During the recent meeting, it has been emphasised to address severe traffic congestion at Kalindi Kunj, and it was suggested to NHAI to prepare a DPR for an interchange at Okhla Barrage, considering CRRI's report and the urgency of immediate remedial action,' said the officials.. Bids for preparing the DPR for this project have been invited and are expected to be received by June 23.
Indian Express
29 minutes ago
- Indian Express
2 journalists held for blackmail, and extortion: Noida Police
Noida Police Tuesday said they arrested two journalists for allegedly blackmailing a news channel's owner and extorting money from him. A senior police officer told The Indian Express, 'The accused had extorted Rs 2.26 crore from the owner of the news channel by blackmailing and threatening to implicate him in a false case if he did not pay the remaining amount (Rs 62.74 crore). Three separate cases have been registered against them (based on complaints) by the channel's officials.' Police produced the duo before the Gautam Buddha Nagar District Court in the afternoon. They were sent to 15-day judicial custody. The complainant, Jagdish Chandra (75), owner of Bharat24 in Noida's Sector 62, alleged that the woman, Shazia Nisar, had been 'threatening to implicate' him in a 'false rape case' unless he paid her Rs 65 crore. Adarsh Jha — who used to work for a digital portal till a few days ago — has been 'helping' her, he claimed. The FIR reads: 'Shazia Nisar, 30, has been working as an anchor in my channel since 2022. She has been blackmailing me by threatening to implicate me in a false rape case and commit suicide. She has been illegally demanding Rs 60 crore from me. In the last year, she has taken Rs 2 crore 26 lakh through cheques several times. I have evidence of this (transaction). Adarsh Jha… is helping her blackmail me.' When contacted, Chandra said, 'She (Nisar) is a blackmailer. The law of the land will take its course. Her services have been terminated.' The officer quoted above said, 'Apart from the complaint filed by the channel owner, two more complaints were filed by the channel's consulting editor Anita Hada and HR head Anushri Dhar.' Officers from Noida's Sector 58 police station raided Nisar's home — she lives in Delhi — on Monday and arrested her. Police claimed that Rs 34.50 lakh in cash, three mobile phones, two laptops, and a Scorpio car were seized from her home. Police, simultaneously, raided Jha's home at Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, and arrested him. Chandra approached the police on June 8. His channel executives — Hada and Dhar — filed their complaints against Nisar on June 9. Hada said allegations of harassment made by Nisar were incorrect. 'Had that been the case, she would have filed a complaint against him… I would have supported her,'' she emphasised. Asked why they didn't approach the police earlier instead of paying her, she said, 'We were worried that this would harm the reputation of the company. According to police, Chandra, who is also Chief Editor and Chief Executive Officer of Bharat24, also filed a complaint against Nisar's mother. She has not been arrested, police said. Police have booked Nisar, her mother and Jha for extortion Station House Officer, Sector 58, Noida, Amit Kumar said 'We took them into custody on Monday'. 'When asked about the money in her account, she (Nisar) did not have a proper explanation for it… it was a compensation, she told us. We produced them before the court today,' said Kumar. Neetika Jha is a trainee reporter with The Indian Express, Delhi. She covers crime, health, environment as well as stories of human interest, in Noida and Ghaziabad. When not on the field she is probably working on another story idea. On weekends, she loves to read fiction over a cup of coffee (cold coffee if it is summer). The Thursday Murder club and Yellow face were her recent favourites. She loves her garden as much as she loves her job. She is an alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. ... Read More
