Jind gets first woman DC in 59 years

Jind: In a first for Haryana's khap heartland, Jind has got its first woman deputy commissioner since the district was carved out in 1966.IAS officer Dr Vaishali Sharma, a 2017-batch officer, assumed charge on Tuesday, ending a nearly six-decade-long run during which no woman held the district's top administrative post.Jind, long regarded as a stronghold of khap panchayats and once associated with controversial diktats concerning women, has witnessed significant social change in recent years. The appointment is being seen as a symbolic milestone in that journey.On her first day, Dr Sharma reviewed development works and administrative arrangements, and directed officials to ensure speedy delivery of welfare schemes and prompt redressal of public grievances."Ensuring that the benefits of govt schemes reach the last person in the queue will be my top priority," she said, adding that women's empowerment would remain a key focus area.Before her posting in Jind, Dr Sharma served as commissioner of Karnal Municipal Corporation and held various assignments as SDM and additional deputy commissioner in different districts of Haryana.