Centre replaces Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi; Naresh Pal Gangwar appointed
In a significant bureaucratic reshuffle, the central government on Thursday removed Vineet Joshi from the post of Higher Education Secretary. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and comprising Home Minister Amit Shah as its only other member, appointed Naresh Pal Gangwar as the new Higher Education Secretary in the Ministry of Education.
Gangwar, a 1994-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Rajasthan cadre, was serving as the Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying. His transfer marks a shift within the bureaucracy as the government realigns key positions in the education sector.
In a parallel move, the ACC also appointed T K Anil Kumar, a 1995-batch IAS officer of the Karnataka cadre, as the Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy. Kumar, who was posted as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Rural Development, will now oversee school education policies.
The reshuffle comes at a time when the education ministry has faced scrutiny over examination irregularities, though the official order did not cite any specific reason for the changes. The appointments are effective immediately.
