Saradha Muralidharan is the new Chief Secretary of Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram: The state administrative capital of Kerala is set to witness an unusual succession ceremony soon. It is a rarity for a wife to follow her husband into a position of authority. The cabinet has approved the appointment of Sharada G. Muraleedharan as the next Chief Secretary of the state. Chief Secretary V. Venu will retire from service on August 31, and his wife, Sharada Muraleedharan, will take over the role. This will be the first time in the state’s history that a wife will succeed her husband as Chief Secretary.
Currently, Sharada Muraleedharan serves as the Additional Chief Secretary for Planning. There have been previous instances where couples have both held the position of Chief Secretary, such as V. Ramachandran and Padma Ramachandran and Babu Jacob and Lissy Jacob.
Sharada Muraleedharan will become the 50th Chief Secretary of the state and the fifth woman to hold the position. Padma Ramachandran was the first female Chief Secretary of the state.
The 1990 batch IAS officer, currently serving as the Additional Chief Secretary of the Local Self Government department, has a distinguished career with extensive experience in various key roles at both the Centre and the state levels. She headed the Kudumbashree Mission from 2006 to 2012, showcasing her administrative expertise.
At the national level, she was the Chief Operating Officer at the National Rural Livelihoods Mission under the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. She also served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, where she played a crucial role in conceptualizing and promoting Gram Panchayat Development Plans.
As Director General of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), she was pivotal in restructuring the curriculum and leading several strategic projects.
Her career includes roles as Director of Scheduled Caste Development, Social Welfare, and Collegiate Education departments, as well as Director of the Civil Supplies Corporation and the Modernising Government Programme. She has also been Secretary to the state government in the departments of Social Welfare and Archives and Archaeology.
