In a historic first for Kerala’s bureaucracy – and possibly for Indian bureaucracy as a whole – an IAS officer has handed over the Chief Secretary position to his wife. Ms Sarada Muraleedharan, a 1990-batch IAS officer, has taken over as Chief Secretary of Kerala following the retirement of her husband, V. Venu, on September 1, 2024.
Mr. V. Venu, a seasoned IAS officer from the same batch, retired on August 31. The state cabinet has confirmed Sarada Muraleedharan’s appointment as the 49th Chief Secretary of Kerala.
Previously, Ms Muraleedharan served as the Additional Chief Secretary in the Planning and Economic Affairs Department under the Ministry of Finance. The Kerala government officially announced her appointment on August 21, 2024.
A video of this significant handover has gone viral online, capturing the momentous transition of power within the IAS couple. Notably, Congress leader and former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Shashi Tharoor, shared a clip of the official ceremony on social media platform ‘X.’
He wrote, “For the first time in India (at least as far as anyone can remember!), Kerala’s outgoing ChiefSecretary, Dr V, Venu, handed over the CS’s post to his wife, Sarada Murlidharan, at a formal handover ceremony at the secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram. Both are IAS officers of the 1990 batch but Venu is several months older than his wife, who is next in seniority in the service.
A clip of the ceremony: the government was able to economise on the bouquet!”
For the first time in India (at least as far as anyone can remember!), Kerala’s outgoing ChiefSecretary, Dr V, Venu, handed over the CS’s post to his wife, Sarada Murlidharan, at a formal handover ceremony at the secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram. Both are IAS officers of the… pic.twitter.com/E0nZmDDIWi
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) September 1, 2024
Netizens are enthusiastic about the video, praising the powerful IAS couple for their mutual respect, understanding, and the elegant gesture of passing the role between them.
While, Ms Muraleedharan, a seasoned IAS officer like her husband, has an extensive career marked by significant positions across various departments. Her previous roles include heading the Kudumbashree Mission, aimed at poverty eradication and women’s empowerment, from 2006 to 2012.
She has also served as the Chief Operating Officer at the National Rural Livelihoods Mission of the Ministry of Rural Development and as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
