Sujata Saunik Becomes Maharashtra’s First Female Chief Secretary

Sujata Saunik becomes Maharashtra’s first female Chief Secretary, succeeding the retiring Nitin Kareer. She is now the 45th Chief Secretary of Maharashtra since the state’s formation in 1960.

Sujata Saunik
Sujata Saunik becomes first female chief secretary of Maharashtra.

On Sunday, Sujata Saunik, an IAS officer from the 1987 batch, made history by becoming Maharashtra’s first female Chief Secretary, succeeding the retiring Nitin Kareer. Interestingly, Kareer had previously taken over the role from Saunik’s husband, Manoj Saunik.

About Sujata Saunik

Prior to this role, Sujata Saunik served as the additional chief secretary in the Home Department and the General Administration Department of the Maharashtra government. She is now the 45th Chief Secretary of Maharashtra since the state’s formation in 1960.

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The central government had extended Kareer’s tenure by three months in March 2024 due to the Lok Sabha elections, which concluded on June 4 with the announcement of results.

Saunik was among the top contenders for the Chief Secretary position, alongside senior bureaucrats Rajesh Kumar and IS Chahal. Her recent promotion to the secretary rank, making her one of the nation’s most senior bureaucrats, left the government with little choice but to appoint her as Chief Secretary.

Maharashtra now sees women occupying its two highest administrative posts: Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP). In January 2024, senior IPS officer Rashmi Shukla became the first woman to hold the DGP position.

Over the past decade, Sujata Saunik has held significant roles, including Additional Chief Secretary of the Skill Development, Employment, and Entrepreneurship Department (SDEED), and Principal Secretary of Public Health and Financial Reform at the state level. She also participated in an Oxford Policy Management study that evaluated outcomes for the Women and Child and School Education departments.

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At the federal level, she has contributed to the Women and Child and Disaster Management departments and participated in two UN humanitarian missions in Cambodia and Kosovo.

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