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Manjula Subramaniam Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth18 September 1948

Age74 Years

BirthplaceTamil Nadu, India

ProfessionCivil Servant (IAS Officer)

NationalityIndian

Manjula Subramaniam Biography

Manjula Subramaniam was a senior Indian Administrative Service officer of the 1972 Gujarat cadre who rose through district and state postings to become the

Early life and background

Manjula Subramaniam was born on 18 September 1948 in Tamil Nadu and grew up in Gujarat. She completed undergraduate and postgraduate studies in physics, earned a PhD in commerce, and also obtained a certificate in German. After qualifying for the civil services, she trained at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration before beginning her long career in the Indian Administrative Service.

Career

A member of the 1972 IAS batch assigned to the Gujarat cadre, Subramaniam held a wide range of posts at district, state and central levels. Early in her career she served in Surat as Assistant Collector and Additional Collector, and then moved on to district-level leadership as District Development Officer of Jamnagar and District Collector of Amreli and Junagadh.

Her central deputation assignments included roles in personnel and administrative reforms, commerce and industry, and defence. She served as Joint Chief Controller (Import & Export) and Director in the commerce and industry function, and later held a Joint Secretary post at the Prime Minister’s Office in New Delhi.

Back in Gujarat, Subramaniam occupied senior administrative positions across departments. She was principal secretary for urban development and housing, and later for energy and petrochemicals, where she played an active role in the state’s rural electrification initiative aimed at providing round-the-clock quality power to villages. She also served as principal secretary and additional chief secretary in the finance department.

On 31 August 2007 she became the first woman to hold the position of Chief Secretary of Gujarat. She retired from that role at the end of November 2008.

Public roles after retirement included serving as the state’s Chief Vigilance Commissioner, participating in the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation, and holding chairman or director positions in various public sector units. In June 2017 she was appointed head of the interim Gujarat Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA). In August 2020 she joined the board of Gujarat Gas Limited (GIPCL) as an additional director for a five-year term; she resigned from that position in December 2022 for health reasons.

Public profile

Throughout her career Subramaniam developed a reputation as an experienced administrator with familiarity across policy areas and both state and central governance. She served as Chief Secretary during the tenure of Narendra Modi as Chief Minister of Gujarat. Her work on rural power supply and in finance and urban development reflected a broad portfolio of responsibilities over several decades.

She was multilingual, fluent in English, French, Gujarati, Hindi, German and Tamil. Colleagues and contemporaries noted her interest in reading, which she pursued in her spare time.

Personal life and death

Manjula Subramaniam’s personal details recorded at the time of her death list her age as 74. She died on 1 January 2023 at a hospital in Vadodara, Gujarat, after suffering health-related complications. Reports indicate she had been admitted to the hospital in December 2022 and that her resignation from a corporate board in December 2022 was for health reasons.

Latest updates

Following her passing, prominent leaders publicly expressed condolences. Her death was reported as the end of a long administrative career that included breaking a glass ceiling in Gujarat by becoming the state’s first woman chief secretary. Her final public roles included leadership of the interim state RERA and a board position at GIPCL from which she stepped down due to illness.

Legacy

Subramaniam’s career spanned district administration, state policymaking and central government service. She is remembered for holding key administrative portfolios across sectors and for occupying several senior posts after retirement, continuing to shape public institutions in Gujarat.
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Recent Work

Head of interim Gujarat Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA)

Appointed head of the interim Gujarat RERA in June 2017.

2017
Additional Director, Gujarat Gas Limited (GIPCL)

Joined the GIPCL board as an additional director for a five-year term in August 2020; resigned in December 2022 due to health issues.

2020
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Career Highlights

  1. Member of the 1972 IAS batch, Gujarat cadre
  2. Served as District Collector of Amreli and Junagadh
  3. Joint Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, New Delhi
  4. Principal Secretary for Urban Development and for Energy & Petrochemicals in Gujarat
  5. First woman Chief Secretary of Gujarat (31 August 2007 to 30 September 2008)
  6. Chief Vigilance Commissioner of Gujarat and roles in state development bodies after retirement
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Manjula Subramaniam born?

18 September 1948

What is Manjula Subramaniam known for?

Civil Servant (IAS Officer)