CV Ananda Bose - Know all about West Bengal's new Governor

Former bureaucrat CV Ananda Bose has been appointed as the 21st Governor of West Bengal. He will take charge from acting Governor LA Ganesan Iyer. His appointment will be effective from the day he assumes office, as per the communiqué from the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The appointment of Bose comes amid tensions between the non-BJP state governments and the Raj Bhavans. Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankar, who was the Governor of West Bengal, regularly tussled with Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee since his appointment to the Raj Bhavan in 2019.

Regarding the tensions, Bose said he would act as a bridge between the Centre and the state and help with the growth and development of the state, Indian Express reported.

Ananda Bose was born in Mannanam in Kottayam, Kerala, and was named after the great freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose.

A PhD from BITS, Pilani, Bose is a recipient of the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship, and he is also a Fellow of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie. He joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 1977.

He initiated several innovative projects during his career including the institution of the District Tourism Promotion Council in 1986, which was later replicated by the Government of Kerala in all districts. This was the project that led to Kerala earning the tag of ‘God’s Own Country’.

According to his website, Dr Bose has 350 publications, including 45 books in English, Malayalam and Hindi consisting of novels, short stories, poems, and essays.

The 71-year-old retired from the Indian Administrative service at the rank of Chief Secretary (Secretary to Government of India) and served last as an advisor to the Meghalaya government.

Bose is also a housing expert, writer and orator, who held the rank of Secretary to Government of India, Chief Secretary, and University Vice Chancellor.

He is the Chairman of the Habitat Alliance, in consultative status with UN and is a former member of the UN Habitat Governing Council.

He served as the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Education Society. During his career he represented India at the European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva, and the International Fusion Energy Organisation in France.

He was also the chairman of a working group responsible for preparing the development agenda for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. The concept of "affordable housing for all" proposed by Bose was adopted by the government.