Meet Radha Raturi, Uttarakhand Gets Its 1st Female Chief Secretary

Uttarakhand won its first woman chief secretary on January 31, as Indian Administrative Services officer Radha Raturi took the helm. The 1988-batch officer was serving as the Additional Chief Secretary and now ascended to the top seat. Raturi will serve as the State's Chief Secretary till March this year. She is preceded by IAS officer Sukhbir Singh Sandhu who completes his term today.

Uttarakhand | 1988 batch IAS officer Radha Raturi to be the new Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand. Senior IAS officer Radha Raturi will be the first woman Chief Secretary of the state: State Government pic.twitter.com/xf95sMp33b

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) January 30, 2024

Since Uttarakhand's inception as a separate State, no woman politician has been able to fill the position of Chief Secretary until now. Raturi's promotion marks a significant milestone as it highlights the importance of inclusivity in leadership.

Who Is Radha Raturi?

1988-batch Indian Administrative Services officer Radha Raturi became Uttarakhand's first woman Chief Secretary on January 31, replacing retiring officer SS Sandhu. Sandhu was earlier expected to retire in July 2023 but was granted a six-month extension allegedly due to pending work. She was the Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister before this. 

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami approved Raturi's promotion on January 30, making her the State's 18th Chief Secretary. Although her tenure is set to end in less than two months, her elevation to the top position marks a significant step towards recognising women's contribution to administrative leadership.

Reportedly, Raturi originally belonged to the Madhya Pradesh cadre. She changed her cadre to Uttarakhand, which is why she was ranked at the bottom in her batch of '88. She now serves as the most senior bureaucrat in the Uttarakhand IAS cadre. She has an illustrious career of 36 years. In her over three-and-a-half decades of administrative work, Raturi has held several important positions as the Additional Chief Secretary Women Empowerment, State Chief Electoral Officer, and District Magistrate,

The Raturi household beams with pride as both Radha and her husband, Anil, are committed to serving the country. 1987-batch Indian Police Services officer Anil Raturi, formerly served as the Director General of Police in Uttarakhand. He reportedly retired in November 2020.