Women Power: Three top posts held by senior women officials in Maharashtra
Mumbai: Amid the MahaYuti government’s push for the empowerment and upliftment of women in the run-up to the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly election, three major posts in the state, including the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests are currently held by senior women IAS, IPS and IFS officers.
An IAS officer of the 1987 batch, Sujata Saunik, has been credited with being the first woman to become the Maharashtra Chief Secretary. She took over on June 30 and will remain in the post till June next year.
An IPS officer of the 1988 batch, Rashmi Shukla, is currently the Maharashtra DGP and she will retire in January 2026.
Last week, the government appointed a 1988 batch Indian Forest Service officer, Shamita Biswas, as the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Chief of Forest Force with an additional charge. Biswas, who is posted as the Chief Executive Officer of Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority, was given the charge after the incumbent Shailesh Tembhurnikar retired.
Maharashtra Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar has congratulated Biswas on being appointed as the first woman IFS officer as the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests.
These appointments coincided with the MahaYuti government’s move to aggressively implement a slew of welfare and development schemes for girls and women, including the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, Annapurna Yojana, three free cylinders annually and free education for girls pursuing higher education.
Further, these appointments are important, especially when the state government has recently launched the fourth women’s policy focuses on eight principles, which are Health, Nutrition and Wellbeing; education and skill; ending sexual and gender-based violence; gender responsive livelihood enhancement; gender inclusive infrastructure; gender responsive governance and political participation; gender sensitive natural resource management – Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Management and special sports policy for women and girls.