Nalini NettoThiruvananthapuram: Senior bureaucrat Nalini Netto, who is known as the ‘woman of steel in civil service,’ will step down as chief secretary of Kerala on 31st August. A 1981 batch IAS officer, Nalini took charge as the chief secretary on 2 April. Before that, she was serving as home secretary and secretary to chief minister.
It is learned that the government has conveyed the message that it would like Nalini to continue as a part of the government even after retirement. The government wants to make good use of her experience and prowess in administration. It is exploring the possibility of making her one of the advisers to the chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Already, there is a panel of advisers working to help the chief minister in daily affairs.
K.M. Abraham, an officer of the 1982 IAS batch, is the senior most civil servants in Kerala cadre after Nalini Netto. The tenure of Abraham, who is the additional chief secretary for finance, will end on 31 December. Other probable candidates for the top bureaucratic post are Amarendra Kumar Dubey and Aruna Sundararajan, who comes next in the seniority list after Abraham. These officers also belong to the 1982 IAS batch. At present, Dubey is on central deputation and is posted as secretary of Youth Affairs. Also on central deputation, Aruna Sundararajan is serving as secretary of Communication and Information technology.
Nalini Netto is the 42nd chief secretary of the state and the fourth woman to adorn the post in Kerala. In her long career, Nalini Netto has held several key posts including the State Tourism secretary, irrigation secretary and district collector of Thiruvananthapuram. She was also the first woman to hold the office of the chief electoral officer (CEO) and she remained in the post for 11 years.
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