Guruprasad Mohapatra DPIIT Secretary took his last breath

Guruprasad Mohapatra, the Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) died. He was being treated at AIIMS, New Delhi for covid-related complications.

PM Narendra Modi tweeted, “Saddened by the demise of Dr. Guruprasad Mohapatra, DPIIT Secretary. I had worked with him extensively in Gujarat and at the Centre. He had a great understanding of administrative issues and was known for his innovative zeal. Condolences to his family and friends. Om Shanti."

Piyush Goyal tweeted, “Extremely saddened to hear about the loss of Dr. Guruprasad Mohapatra, Secretary DPIIT. His long-standing service and dedication to the Nation have left a lasting impact. I convey my deepest sympathies to his family and friends."

At DPIIT, Guruprasad was instrumental in formulating the production linked incentive schemes. He was also actively working on reducing compliance burden on the industry.

Prior to taking over as DPIIT Secretary in 2019, he served as Chairman of Airports Authority of India (AAI). Guruprasad Mohapatra brought about many changes in AAI’s strategic operations. He gave new direction to AAI and steered it to achieve greater excellence in the sector of airport infrastructure development not only at the metro airports but also in tier II and tier III cities.

He had earlier served as Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce, Government of India where he worked for the promotion of Special Economic Zones (SEZs), Public Procurement and Project Exports (Financing & Insurance).

Mohapatra, a 1986 batch IAS officer of Gujarat carde, was instrumental in developing several urban projects like the Sabarmati riverfront, Bus rapid transit system, Kankaria lakefront and heritage promotion. He also served as the Transport Commissioner and Commissioner, Commercial Taxes in Gujarat.