Boy from sleepy hamlet in Odisha becomes deputy governor of RBI

Kendrapara: Residents of a sleepy hamlet in a remote corner of coastal Kendrapara district in Odisha are elated as their son-of-the-soil ascended to a top-position in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

58-year-old Bibhu Prasad Kanungo, a native of this village has made the people of Balia village here proud after he assumed the charge of deputy governor of RBI recently.

“It’s matter of pride for us as the new RBI deputy governor has his roots here. It gives us a sense of joy as someone from us is shouldering the responsibility of country’s fiscal management,” said a local, Raj Kishore Lenka.

"I never dreamt big. But I fought all odds to reach my goal. My parents and teachers played a major role. My father was a government servant. He was the source of inspiration for me. Whatever I am today is because of their and my hard-work," Bibhu Prasad said from New Delhi over telephone.

He grew up in the village, 15 km from Kendrapara. He was quiet and studious and studied till sixth grade at the village school.

Bibhu passed HSC from a high school in Bhubaneswar and studied Intermediate Science from 1973 to 1975 in Kendrapara college.

Thereafter, Bibhu Prasad studied BA (Honours) in History at BJB college in Bhubaneswar. He did his masters in history from Utkal university in 1978.

In 1979, he joined the Oriental Bank of Commerce as a probationary officer. Later in 1980, he joined Reserve Bank as an officer after passing Grade-B examination.

During his stint as a senior officer of the Reserve Bank of India, he worked in Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Patna, Mumbai, New Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata and other places in the country, said Dr Biswa Prakash Kanungo, a close relative of Bibhu Prasad.

He showed glimpses of academic brilliance from his childhood days. We all are feeling proud to know that he has become RBI’s deputy governor recently.

S K Samsur, former principal of Kendrapara college, said Bibhu was good at studies and we are proud for his achievement.