The State Secretariat in south Mumbai, Mantralaya, hosted a ceremony to mark the transfer of power.
On June 30, Sujata Saunik, a senior IAS officer, made history by becoming the first female chief secretary of Maharashtra.
The MahaYuti government appointed Ms. Saunik, an IAS graduate from 1987, as Chief Secretary after Chief Secretary Nitin Kareer retired. Before she retires in June of the following year, she will have served her full term.
According to reports, Ms. Saunik was unanimously appointed to the position by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. This move coincides with the government’s recent announcement of the Fourth Women Policy, which aims to empower women and signals support for female voters ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
On Sunday night, Mr. Kareer formally turned over the reins of command to Ms. Saunik at a ceremony held at Mantralaya, the State Secretariat in south Mumbai.
Ms. Saunik was the State’s Home Department’s Additional Chief Secretary prior to being promoted to Chief Secretary. She has served as the General Administration Department’s Additional Chief Secretary as well as in other departments like public health.
She is the second woman in Maharashtra to take on a significant leadership role this year, after Rashmi Shukla became the first female director general of police in the State’s history. She was in the same IAS batch as her spouse, Manoj Saunik, who was also a former State Chief Secretary.
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