Education Secretary Vineet Joshi Replaced Amid CJP Protest Over Paper Leaks
Naresh Pal Gangwar has been appointed as new Education Secretary after Joshi was moved to the Panchayati Raj ministry.
A top bureaucrat has been removed from the Education ministry in a first big move by the government as students across the country demand accountability over paper leaks.
Education Secretary Vineet Joshi has been replaced with Naresh Pal Gangwar, an official government notification said late Thursday night.
Joshi became the Secretary in the Department of Higher Education in January 2025. He has now been appointed as the Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
The government has also appointed TK Anil Kumar, additional secretary in the Department of Rural Development, as the secretary in the Department of School Education and Literacy.
Joshi's removal was part of a major reshuffle that included 13 appointments and four in-situ upgrades.
The government's move came amid massive protests by the satirical political outfit Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and opposition parties over exam paper leaks, including the NEET row.
A ruling party MP said that the Education Secretary was removed for showing apathy to the paper leak issue.
"Prime Minister Modi has replaced the Education Secretary for showing apathy regarding the paper leak issue. Strict action will be taken against those responsible for the paper leak, as well as those who displayed negligence or apathy. Modi's guarantee," said BJP MP Nishikant Dubey.
Who are Joshi and Gangwar?
A 1992-batch officer of the Manipur cadre, Joshi has previously served as the chief secretary of Manipur. He was also the first director-general of the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts competitive exams like NEET and JEE.
Joshi has also served as the chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and additional secretary in the Ministry of Education. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from IIT Kanpur and an MBA from Indian Institure of Foreign Trade (IIFT).
Replacing him is Gangwar, a 1994-batch officer of West Bengal cadre, currently the Secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying.
Source: NDTV Trending
