Sujata Saunik Age, Husband, Family, Biography

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Husband: Manoj Saunik

Age: 59 Years

Hometown: Haryana

Bio/Wiki
Profession	Civil Servant (IAS Officer)
Known for	Being appointed as Maharashtra’s first woman chief secretary in July 2024
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5' 6" (167 cm)
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Dark Brown
Career
Service	Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
Batch	1987
Cadre	Maharashtra
Major Designation(s)	• 1989-1990: Assistant Collector (Land Revenue), Aurangabad • 1990-1991: Chief Officer (Urban Development, Municipal Corporation), Jalna • 1991-1992: Managing Director (Mahila Arthik Vikas Mahamandal (MAVIM)), Mumbai • 1992-1993: Deputy District Election Officer (UN Mission), Cambodia • 1993-1994: Deputy Secretary (Planning Department), Mumbai • 1994-1995: Chief Executive Officer (Konkan Division), Ratnagiri • 1995-1996: Additional Collector (Land Revenue and Disaster Management Department), Pune • 1996-1998: District Collector (Revenue and Forest Department), Jalgaon • 1998-2000: Municipal Commissioner (Urban Development), Nashik • 2000-2004: Civil Affairs Officer in the Department of Government of India, Kosovo • 2005-2006: Professor Director in General Administration Department, Yashada, Pune • 2006-2008: Adviser in Child and Women Development Department, Mumbai • 2009-2013: Advisor and Joint Secretary at National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) • 2013-2016: Principal Secretary in Public Health Department, Mumbai • 2016-2017: Principal Secretary in Finance Department, Mumbai • 2019-2020: Additional Chief Secretary to Government in Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Mumbai • 2020: Additional Chief Secretary in the General Administration Department in Government of Sachivalaya, Mumbai • 2020: Additional Chief Secretary General Administration Department, Mumbai • 2022: Additional Chief Secretary in Administrative Reforms Department, Mumbai • 2023: Additional Chief Secretary in Home Department, Mumbai • 2024: Chief Secretary of Maharashtra
Medal	Gold Medal (as a Panjab University topper in her postgraduation)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	15 June 1965 (Tuesday)
Age (as of 2024)	59 Years
Birthplace	Haryana
Zodiac sign	Gemini
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Haryana
School	She completed her school education in Chandigarh.
College/University	• Government College for Girls, Chandigarh • Panjab University, Chandigarh
Educational Qualification(s)	• B. A. (History, Political Science, and Economics) from Government College for Girls, Chandigarh (1980-1983) • M. A. (History) from Panjab University (1984-1986)
Social Media	LinkedIn
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Family
Husband/Spouse	Manoj Saunik (former IAS officer)
Parents	Father- C D Cheema (former IAS officer; died)
Siblings	Brother- Gautam Cheema (IPS Officer)
Other Relatives	Aunts Asha Atri (IAS; Punjab) Rani Jadhav (retired chairperson of the Mumbai Port Authority) Uncles A K D Jadhav (additional chief secretary (home) in Maharashtra) Pradeep Singh (retired from the Indian Foreign Service) Maternal Grandfather Kartar Singh (former secretary to the union government )

Some Lesser Known Facts About Sujata Saunik

Sujata Saunik’s father, C D Cheema, was an IAS officer who served as the Election Commissioner of Punjab after retiring.

In 1989, she started her career as an assistant collector in Aurangabad.
An old picture of Sujata Saunik

Sujata Saunik was on deputation to the UN mission in Cambodia from June 1992 to July 1993 as a Civil Affairs Officer and Election Monitor. She assisted in voter registration and conducted the first democratic elections in Cambodia (Kampuchea).

Sujata Saunik was on deputation to the United Nations mission in Kosovo from 2000 to 2005. She worked as the Municipal Administrator of Prizren, the second-largest town in Kosovo. She led an international team to help in reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in this war-affected area of Yugoslavia.

Sujata Saunik served as the Executive Director of the Central Social Welfare Board in the Ministry of Women and Child Development in Delhi from September 2006 to September 2008.

During her period in the Plan and Policy division of NDMA, Sujata Saunik focussed on state and district disaster management plans, capacity building, and training key stakeholders.

She has also supervised the training and international deployment of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

Sujata Saunik has handled the NDRF’s participation in the United Nations International Search and Rescue Group (INSARAG) and Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) exercises in Agra and Tunis.

From August 2017 to June 2018, she was a Takemi Fellow in Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Sujata Saunik served as a Research Affiliate at The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University from July 2018 to June 2019.

As the Principal Secretary of the Public Health Department in Mumbai, Sujata Saunik initiated campaigns on women’s rights and motherhood through health networks and media. She launched a special campaign on child survival, growth, and development in Maharashtra.

The first comprehensive policy on maternal and infant nutrition was led by the Public Health Department under her leadership.
Sujata Saunik during her period in the health sector

Under Sujata Saunik’s leadership, the initiative “Kayapalat-Transforming Primary Health” reached remote areas.

In October 2016, she was appointed as the Principal Secretary for Financial Reforms in the Department of Finance in Mumbai. She served in the position till October 2019.

During this period, Sujata Saunik managed office administration, set agendas for high-level meetings with the Prime Minister and Chairman of the Authority, and worked with the Advisory Board.

In April 2024, Sujata Saunik and her husband, Manoj Saunik, an IAS couple, were both candidates for the post of Chief Secretary of Maharashtra, marking a first in the history of state administration.
Sujata Saunik with her husband

In July 2024, she was appointed as the first female Chief Secretary of Maharashtra, breaking a 64-year-old pattern.
Sujata Saunik after being appointed as the first woman chief secretary of Maharashtra in July 2024

Sujata Saunik is fluent in English, Hindi, Marathi, and Punjabi.