Senior IAS officer Sujata Saunik on Sunday( 30 June 2024) took over as Maharashtra's Chief Secretary, becoming the first woman in the state's 64-year-old history to occupy the top post.

Sujata Saunik, an IAS officer of the 1987 batch, succeeds Nitin Kareer who retired as the chief secretary on Sunday.

She will have a year's tenure before retiring in June next year, an official said.

Nitin Kareer handed over the charge to Sujata Saunik at a ceremony held at Mantralaya, the state secretariat in south Mumbai Monday evening.