A spouse is succeeding her IAS officer husband as the Chief Secretary of Kerala, a first in the state’s history.Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan pointed to this rare occurrence on Friday during the farewell ceremony organised for outgoing Chief Secretary V Venu, who will retire from government service on August 31.
Venu will be succeeded as Chief Secretary by his wife Sarada Muraleedharan, who currently holds the post of Additional Chief Secretary.
Vijayan recalled many instances in the state where couples, both of whom were in the civil service, have transferred the duties of Collector from one to the other.
He said that there have also been instances where both husband and wife have headed departments and become chief secretaries at different times.
However, this is the first time in the history of Kerala that the post of Chief Secretary has been handed over by the husband to his wife,” he said.
On this rare transition in the state’s bureaucratic history, Muraleedharan said it was an odd moment for her as she bids adieu to her husband who will retire on August 31.
She said that both of them worked together as civil servants for 34 years, but she never gave much thought to the fact that they will not leave the service together.
“Now I am a bit anxious as I have to continue in service for another eight months after his retirement,” she said.
The Additional Chief Secretary, in her welcome address, also said that her husband recently in an interview remarked that the CM was one of the most professional leaders in power that Kerala has seen.