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With the appointment of two more women officers as deputy commissioners Monday, the state now has women in charge of seven of its 23 districts. Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi confirmed that this is the highest-ever representation of women in district leadership posts in Haryana’s history.

Among the newly appointed officers are Mandeep Kaur, posted as DC of Charkhi Dadri, and Dr Vaishali Sharma, posted to Jind. Kaur, who began her career in the Haryana Civil Services before joining the IAS in 2019 (2013 batch), has served as DCs of Charkhi Dadri and Fatehabad earlier. Dr Sharma, a 2017 batch IAS officer, was allocated to the Haryana cadre after being transferred from Tripura in 2019.

Kaur emphasised that the appointment of women officers inspires girls and women to recognise the importance of education. “When a woman leads the district administration, children—especially girls—are naturally motivated to pursue their studies and aim higher. In addition, the Haryana government has already introduced several schemes dedicated to empowering girls,” she said.

A week earlier, Varsha Khangwal, a 2018 batch officer promoted from the Haryana Civil Services to the IAS in 2025, was appointed Deputy Commissioner of Jhajjar.

With these additions, Haryana’s seven women DCs include Preeti (2015 batch, Yamunanagar), Neha Singh (2015 batch, Sonipat), Aparajita (2018 batch, Kaithal), and Anupama Anjali (2018 batch, Mahendragarh-Narnaul), alongside the three recent appointees.

Anjali took charge on April 16 this year after serving as additional deputy commissioner (ADC) in Rewari. Aparajita earlier worked as ADC in Panchkula, Faridabad, and Ambala. Neha Singh has been DC of Sonipat since March this year, after being transferred from the Gujarat cadre in December 2021. Preeti has been the DC of Yamunanagar since November 2025.

Jhajjar district stands out for having women leading both the administrative and police setups. While Varsha Khangwal heads the district administration, IPS officer Dr Rajshri Singh serves as Commissioner of Police. Women officers Dharna Yadav and Deepti Garg are posted as DCPs, while Ritu Bansiwal and Renuka Nandal serve as City Magistrate and SDM of Beri subdivision, respectively.

“This will undoubtedly inspire and encourage dedicated officers to work with greater efficiency and integrity,” said Khangwal.

At the senior level, however, men continue to dominate key posts in the Haryana bureaucracy, though officials acknowledge a gradual shift in recent years.

Among the senior-most officers in Haryana, Dr Sumita Misra of the 1990 batch has been serving as Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) since January, a position regarded as the most significant assignment in the state bureaucracy after the chief secretary.

Misra also holds the additional charge of the Health and Medical Education and Research portfolio. Earlier, for over a year, she had looked after crucial portfolios, including Home, Jails, and Criminal Investigation.

Another example is Ashima Brar, a 2004 batch IAS officer, who is currently serving as Commissioner of the State Excise and Taxation Department, in addition to a couple of other responsibilities.

Arora made history in June 2019 when she became Haryana’s chief secretary, joining her sisters Meenakshi Anand Chaudhary (1969 batch) and Urvashi Gulati (1975 batch) in holding the state’s top administrative post. Bureaucrats noted that nowhere else in the country have three sisters ever risen to the position of chief secretary of a state.

The appointments also carry symbolic weight in a state that has struggled with gender imbalance. In 2025, Haryana’s sex ratio at birth stood at 923 females per 1,000 males, the highest in five years and a significant improvement from 910 in 2024.

Advocate Hemant Kumar, who closely tracks Haryana’s administrative affairs, observed: “This is the first time so many women officers have been appointed to head district administrations. Certainly, this will prove a boost to women’s empowerment.”

Officials, however, noted that initial postings for women officers were often limited to social welfare departments, while key portfolios such as Home and Town and Country Planning were rarely assigned to them. They also said that if these officers succeed in their tenures, more women may be entrusted with similar assignments.

“Slowly that mindset has changed in Haryana, and women are no longer denied opportunities simply because they are women,” said one officer.

In Punjab, eight of the 23 districts are currently headed by women deputy commissioners. At one point in December 2023, the number had even risen to 10. In contrast, Himachal Pradesh has only three women deputy commissioners out of its 12 districts.