Supriya Sahu was born on 27 July 1968 and is 58. She holds an M.Sc. in Botany from the University of Lucknow and joined the IAS in 1991 (Tamil Nadu cadre). Her husband is N. Muruganandam, IAS. She won the UNEP Champions of the Earth award in 2025. Since July 2026, she has headed EDII-TN as Additional Chief Secretary and Commissioner.
Few civil servants have been honoured by the United Nations for painting school roofs white and planting mangroves. Supriya Sahu IAS is one of them. In December 2025, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) named her a Champion of the Earth. It is the UN’s highest environmental honour.
Sahu belongs to the 1991 batch of the Indian Administrative Service and serves in the Tamil Nadu cadre. Over three decades, she has run a hill district, a state AIDS control society, a tea cooperative and the national broadcaster Doordarshan.
Today, most people know her for climate action. She helped create India’s first not-for-profit state climate company, led a statewide push for cloth bags, and backed cooling schemes for hot classrooms.
Quick Information: Supriya Sahu
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Supriya Sahu |
| Profession | Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer |
| Date of Birth | 27 July 1968 |
| Age | 58 years (as of October 2026) |
| Birth Place | Uttar Pradesh (exact city: Not officially confirmed) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Religion | Not officially confirmed |
| Education | M.Sc. in Botany |
| College | University of Lucknow |
| Father’s Name | Not officially confirmed |
| Mother’s Name | Not officially confirmed |
| Husband | N. Muruganandam, IAS |
| Service Batch and Cadre | 1991 batch, Tamil Nadu cadre |
| Current Posting | Additional Chief Secretary and Commissioner, Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation Institute (EDII-TN) |
Supriya Sahu IAS Age, Early Life and Education
Supriya Sahu was born on 27 July 1968 in Uttar Pradesh. That makes her 58 years old today. Many readers ask Supriya Sahu from which state she comes. The answer is simple. Her home state is Uttar Pradesh, but she serves the Tamil Nadu government because the Tamil Nadu cadre was allotted to her through the civil services.
Her love of nature began in childhood. Her family travelled across the country because of her father’s job, according to UNEP. She also adores elephants, and her social media is full of posts about them. Her school name is Not officially confirmed.
Her college years are better documented. She studied at the University of Lucknow and earned a master’s degree in Botany. Government records list her qualification as M.Sc. (Botany).
Botany is the study of plants. That background fits well with her later work on forests, wetlands, mangroves and urban greenery.
She cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination and joined the IAS as a direct recruit in 1991. Her all-India rank is Not officially confirmed.
Family Details
Her family life stays mostly private. Here is what public sources confirm.
Father and mother: Their names are Not officially confirmed.
Husband: Her husband is N. Muruganandam, also an IAS officer. Many people search for Supriya Sahu Muruganandam together because both belong to the 1991 batch and the Tamil Nadu cadre. He holds a B.E. in Computer Science from Anna University and an MBA from an IIM. He once served as Collector of Coimbatore.
As Industries Secretary, Muruganandam played a key role in bringing Ola and Tata Electronics to the state. He became the 50th Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu on 19 August 2024. His term ended on 8 April 2026, when M. Sai Kumar took over. In May 2026, he was posted as Additional Chief Secretary and Commissioner of Revenue Administration and Disaster Management.
Children: Not officially confirmed.
| Family Member | Details |
|---|---|
| Spouse | N. Muruganandam, IAS (1991 batch, Tamil Nadu) |
| His Education | B.E. (Computer Science), Anna University; MBA from an IIM |
| His Latest Role | Additional Chief Secretary and Commissioner, Revenue Administration and Disaster Management |
| Children | Not officially confirmed |
Batch, Cadre and Career Journey
Her Supriya Sahu IAS batch is 1991. Her first major district role came in the mid-1990s, when she worked as an Additional Collector. The table below shows her main postings.
| Period | Role | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1995–1996 | Additional Collector | Vellore |
| 2000–2002 | District Collector | Nilgiris |
| 2006–2008 | Project Director | Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society |
| 2008–2009 | Project Director | Fluorosis Mitigation Project |
| 2009–2014 | Director, then Joint Secretary | Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Delhi |
| 2016–2019 | Director General | Doordarshan |
| 2019–2021 | Principal Secretary and Managing Director | INDCOSERVE, Coonoor |
| 2021–2024 | Additional Chief Secretary | Environment, Climate Change and Forests |
| 2024 | Additional Chief Secretary | Health and Family Welfare |
| Feb 2025–Jul 2026 | Additional Chief Secretary | Environment, Climate Change and Forests |
| July 2026 onward | Additional Chief Secretary and Commissioner | EDII-TN |
The Nilgiris years. As Collector, she took on plastic waste in a fragile hill district. She launched the campaign, called Operation Blue Mountain, in 2000. It also led to a Guinness World Record for planting the most trees in a single day.
Health work. At the State AIDS Control Society, she strengthened HIV/AIDS and TB programmes and worked to include marginalised groups. She later led a project on fluorosis, a disease caused by too much fluoride in drinking water.
Delhi and Doordarshan. She joined the Information and Broadcasting Ministry as Director in July 2009 and became Joint Secretary in October 2011. The Cabinet’s Appointments Committee approved her as Doordarshan’s full-time Director General in June 2016, ending a gap of almost two years. She took charge on 29 June 2016 and said goodbye on 27 September 2019 after more than three years.
The tea cooperative. At INDCOSERVE, she worked to raise incomes for tea growers. Farmers received an all-time high price for green leaves in August 2020. She also opened the INDCO Tea House to promote cooperative teas and sold products through e-commerce sites.
The climate years. From 2021, she led Tamil Nadu’s environment department. In 2024, she moved to the Health and Family Welfare department. On 10 February 2025, she returned to Environment.
Supriya Sahu IAS Current Posting
On 15 July 2026, the Tamil Nadu government reshuffled 17 IAS officers. Sahu moved out of the Environment department. She was appointed Additional Chief Secretary and Commissioner of the Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation Institute, known as EDII-TN.
EDII-TN is based in Guindy, Chennai. It trains and supports new business owners, including small enterprises that want to sell online.
ThePrint reported that the move was not widely expected, and that some activists were upset. A government officer told the outlet that transfers are a routine part of administration.
Postings in India change often. Always check the latest Tamil Nadu Government Orders before publishing or quoting a designation.
Supriya Sahu Cool Roof Technology and Key Initiatives
The cool roof idea is simple. A roof painted with white, reflective coating bounces sunlight away instead of soaking it up. The rooms below stay cooler without extra electricity.
Tamil Nadu applied this idea to public schools. UNEP reports that the project covers 200 public “green schools.”
Why does this matter? Chennai residents joke that the weather has three modes: “hot, hotter and hottest.” Sahu says temperatures in government classrooms without air conditioning can rise above 40°C in summer. That makes studying hard and hurts health.
White roofs alone bring the classroom temperature down sharply. UNEP says that when they are combined with shading, natural ventilation and plants, indoor temperatures can fall by 5 to 8°C.
The green schools also use solar power, energy-efficient fans, shade, rainwater harvesting and vegetable gardens. UNEP says Sahu holds this school project especially close to her heart.
The same low-cost ideas are now being extended to social housing. UNEP says families who cannot afford air conditioning could gain about 40 per cent more usable time at home. Those who later buy an air conditioner could cut cooling bills by up to 50 per cent. The measures are also expected to enter the state’s building rules.
| Initiative | What It Does | Reported Result |
|---|---|---|
| Cool Roof Project | Reflective white roofs on school buildings | Implemented in 200 public green schools |
| Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company | State climate vehicle that runs four missions: Green Tamil Nadu, Climate Change, Wetlands and Coastal Restoration | India’s first not-for-profit state climate vehicle |
| Meendum Manjappai (2022) | Brings back the yellow cloth bag to fight single-use plastic | Launched by Chief Minister M K Stalin |
| Heat as a state disaster | Tamil Nadu formally declared heat a state-specific disaster | First state in India to do so, per UNEP |
| Forest and wetland recovery | Tree planting, new reserve forests, mangrove and wetland protection | Over 100 million trees, 65 new reserve forests, mangrove cover doubled, wetland sites up from one to twenty (UN India) |
Supriya Sahu Awards & Achievements
Many readers search for the Supriya Sahu UN award. It is the UNEP Champions of the Earth award for 2025. UNEP announced the winners on 10 December 2025, in the 20th year of the programme. Sahu won in the “Inspiration and Action” category.
UNEP chief Inger Andersen praised her for bringing nature’s cooling effect into hot city spaces. She said this helped millions of people, including thousands of schoolchildren.
| Award or Honour | Given By | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Champions of the Earth 2025 (Inspiration and Action) | UNEP | UN’s highest environmental honour |
| Best Collector Award | Government of Tamil Nadu | Year: Not officially confirmed |
| Green Award | Government of Tamil Nadu | Year: Not officially confirmed |
| Guinness World Record, most trees planted in a day | Guinness World Records | Linked to the Nilgiris tree-planting campaign |
A general Supriya Sahu award search will also show her state honours listed above.
Interesting Facts
- She is among a small group of Indian officers to receive a Champions of the Earth award since the programme began in 2005. UNEP says it has recognised 127 laureates so far.
- The other 2025 winners included Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, architect Mariam Issoufou, Brazil’s Imazon institute and the late Manfredi Caltagirone.
- Her department created Village Mangrove Councils to give coastal communities a direct role in conservation.
- One news report credits the Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company with restoring 3,610 hectares of mangroves.
- Tamil Nadu is turning 10 villages into climate-smart villages under programmes linked to her department.
- A 10-month mentorship programme for women helps them lead local climate projects.
- UNEP says her programmes helped create about 2.5 million green jobs.
- The coastal restoration mission has drawn World Bank collaboration.
- Tamil Nadu launched a US$60 million Endangered Species Conservation Fund under her leadership.
- She says her turning point came in the Nilgiris, when she saw animals eating plastic garbage and felt the planet was “choking.”
- Her work on the state’s building and heat rules is meant to push private builders to follow public-sector designs.
Conclusion
Supriya Sahu IAS shows how a civil servant can turn policy into real change on the ground. Her path moved from district offices and health programmes to national television, cooperative farming and climate leadership.
Her best-known ideas are easy to understand. White roofs cool classrooms. Cloth bags replace plastic. Mangroves and wetlands protect coasts and cities.
Recognition from the United Nations made her work visible far beyond Tamil Nadu. Her move to EDII-TN in 2026 now takes her into the world of young businesses and skills.
Whatever role she holds next, her career offers a clear lesson for UPSC aspirants. Public service works best when ideas are practical, local and measurable.
Read More:
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- Sanjay Prasad IAS
- Saloni Verma IAS
- Surabhi Gautam IAS
- Arjun Gowda IAS
- Durga Shakti Nagpal
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Who is Supriya Sahu IAS?
She is a 1991-batch IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre and a 2025 UNEP Champion of the Earth.
2. What is Supriya Sahu’s age?
She was born on 27 July 1968, so she is 58 in October 2026.
3. Supriya Sahu is from which state?
She was born in Uttar Pradesh and works in Tamil Nadu.
4. What is Supriya Sahu IAS husband’s name?
Her husband is N. Muruganandam, a fellow 1991-batch IAS officer and former Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu.
5. What is Supriya Sahu IAS education qualification?
She holds an M.Sc. in Botany from the University of Lucknow.
6. What is Supriya Sahu IAS batch?
She joined the service in 1991 as a direct recruit.
7. What is Supriya Sahu IAS current posting?
She is Additional Chief Secretary and Commissioner of EDII-TN, a role she took up after the July 2026 reshuffle.
8. What is the cool roof technology linked to Supriya Sahu?
It is a reflective white roof coating used to lower heat inside school buildings.
9. Which UN award did she win?
She won the UNEP Champions of the Earth 2025 award in the Inspiration and Action category.
10. What is Supriya Sahu’s net worth?
Not officially confirmed. No verified figure is available in public sources.
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