Sujata Saunik, a 1987 batch IAS, became the state’s first woman chief secretary (CS) in June last year. She retires on Monday after serving as CS for a year. She was superseded twice. As the seniormost IAS officer in April 2023, she could have become CS at the time, but then CM Eknath Shinde chose to appoint her husband, Manoj Saunik, instead. The second time, she was superseded by Nitin Kareer, who was made CS in Jan 2024. Sujata introduced paperless cabinet meetings, providing every cabinet minister with an iPad. The first e-cabinet meeting was held on June 24 this year. —Clara Lewis
