Jharkhand’s first woman Chief Secretary, Lakshmi Singh, today breathed her last while undergoing treatment at Medica Hospital in Ranchi.
Singh, 73, was suffering from lung related ailments. She was put on ventilator after complaining of acute shortness of breath resulting in alarmingly low level of oxygen in body.
Many eminent personalities, including Chief Minister Raghubar Das and former CM Arjun Munda expressed condolences on her demise.
Her last rites will be performed at Harmu Mukti Dhaam on Sunday morning, sources said.
“We brought her to Medica on March 1. Before this, she was undergoing treatment at RIMS (Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences). Doctors here had referred her to AIIMS but we could not take her to Delhi as she was not fit for air travel due to low oxygen level in the body,” said her son Shivanand Singh.
Singh had served several crucial posts in Jharkhand and unified Bihar during her illustrious career as an IAS officer. She was the last Regional Development Commissioner of erstwhile Bihar and was appointed as the Chief Secretary of Jharkhand in 2003.
Singh also played an important role in shaping primary education soon after formation of the State. She served as the Chairperson of Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC) during the first decade of 21st century and helped the council take baby steps to becoming the board with highest number of matriculation and intermediate students in the state. Even after her retirement, she offered honorary service at Cambridge Institute of Technology (CIT), Tatisilwai as Chairperson.
She was battling Chronic Pulmonary Obstructive Disease since 2017 and had been throughout treated at government hospitals.
Sources said that Singh had shown signs of recovery after treatment for a week. However, her condition was critical and chances of deterioration was high.
Before this, she was admitted in the Central Emergency of RIMS, where she was put on ventilator for a day.