For the first time since its formation in 1966, Haryana has seven women IAS officers simultaneously heading district administrations — a significant shift in a state long associated with patriarchal social norms and poor gender indicators. 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. Mandeep Kaur, who hails from Punjab, began her career in the Haryana Civil Services (HCS) before being promoted to IAS in 2019 and allotted the 2013 batch. She has earlier served as Deputy Commissioner of Fatehabad. Photo special arrangement Among the newly appointed officers are Mandeep Kaur, posted as DC of Charkhi Dadri, and Dr Vaishali Sharma, posted to Jind.…