NEW YORK: An Indian-American woman has become the first female to be appointed as the postmaster in Sacramento city in California in last 166 years, a media report said.

Jagdeep Grewal was sworn in Sept. 3 on the north steps of the state Capitol as Sacramento’s first woman postmaster, according to the U.S. Postal Service. Jagdeep Grewal will oversee 1,004 employees who process and deliver mail on 537 city routes and 94 rural routes – and fill nearly 20,000 post office boxes.

Ms Grewal who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree from Punjab University, started her career in postal services in 1988 as a window clerk.

She was promoted to the post of manager after five years of service.

Referring to the steep decline in the usage of postal services due to internet and courier services, Ms Grewal said that she looked forward to working with Sacramento’s Postal Service employees during a challenging time.

“It is only through joint effort and collaboration that we can truly meet our mission of providing extraordinary service while keeping costs down,” said Grewal in a news release.

She has also worked as a postmaster in Pacifica-Daly City, California.

The US Postal Service is facing cash crunch and recently reported a net loss of $586 million earlier this year.