Education secretary Vineet Joshi shifted to panchayati raj ministry; Naresh Pal Gangwar to head higher education dept
The changes come at a sensitive time for the Union ministry of education, which has been facing intense public and political scrutiny over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.
New Delhi: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Thursday approved a major reshuffle of senior bureaucrats, moving education secretary Vineet Joshi to the ministry of panchayati raj and appointing Naresh Pal Gangwar, currently secretary in the department of animal husbandry and dairying, as the new secretary of the department of higher education.
The changes come at a sensitive time for the Union ministry of education, which has been facing intense public and political scrutiny over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak. The matter has triggered protests by students and opposition parties, while the issue has repeatedly disrupted proceedings in Parliament during the ongoing monsoon session.
Joshi, a 1992 batch IAS officer of the Manipur cadre, will succeed Vivek Bharadwaj, a 1990 batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre, as secretary in the ministry of panchayati raj. Bharadwaj is set to retire on 31 July.
Sushil Kumar Lohani, currently additional secretary in the ministry of panchayati raj, has been appointed an officer on special duty in the department of animal husbandry and dairying with the rank and pay of secretary. Lohani, a 1995 batch IAS officer of the Odisha cadre, will formally take over as secretary after Gangwar assumes his position head of the department of higher education.
Broad reshuffle
The reshuffle is part of a broader exercise involving changes across several key ministries.
Katikithala Srinivas, secretary in the ministry of housing and urban affairs, has been appointed secretary, ministry of development of North Eastern region (DoNER).
Piyush Goyal, secretary in the ministry of mines, has been named secretary general of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in the rank and pay of secretary to the Government of India, while Keshav Chandra has been appointed secretary in the ministry of mines.
The ACC also appointed T.K. Anil Kumarm additional Secretary in the ministry of rural development, as secretary, department of school education and literacy in the ministry of education.
D. Thara, additional secretary in the ministry of housing and urban affairs, has been elevated as secretary, department of capital development, ministry of housing and urban affairs, by operationalizing a vacant secretary-level post.
Further, B. Rajender has been appointed director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration with the rank and pay of secretary following the retirement of Sriram Taranikanti.
Chandra Bhushan Kumar has been named secretary in the ministry of labour and employment, succeeding Vandana Gurnani upon her retirement on 31 July.
Satendra Singh, additional secretary in the cabinet secretariat, has been appointed secretary of the department of urban development under the ministry of housing and urban affairs, while Suchindra Misra, special secretary in the department of commerce, has been appointed secretary, National Commission for Minorities, with the rank and pay of secretary to the Government of India.
The ACC also approved the temporary upgrade of Archana Varma Mission, director of the National Water Mission under the ministry of jal shakti, to the rank and pay of secretary. She will subsequently take over as secretary, department of official languages, in the ministry of home affairs after the retirement of Ansuli Arya on 30 September.
In addition, four senior officers were granted in-situ upgradation to the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India. They include Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan, Registrar General and Census Commissioner; Santosh Kumar Yadav, chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI); Rajeev Singh Thakur, adviser, NITI Aayog; and Dilip Kumar, director general (training), ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship.
The latest appointments follow another major bureaucratic reshuffle approved by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led ACC in April, when 48 senior bureaucrats were transferred or appointed across the Centre. That exercise included the appointment of Hardik Satishchandra Shah as private secretary to the prime minister at the joint secretary level and Jawahar Packirisamy as chairman of the Marine Products Export Development Authority, underscoring the government’s focus on strengthening policy execution across economic and administrative sectors.
About the Author
Harsh Kumar
Harsh Kumar is a policy reporter at Mint (HT Media Group), where he covers the Ministry of Commerce and Industry along with key departments of the Ministry of Finance, including the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) and the Department of Financial Services (DFS). With over five years of experience in business and economic journalism, he has developed strong expertise in tracking policy developments and their wider economic impact.
He has previously worked with Business Standard, Moneycontrol, and Outlook Money, where he reported extensively on banking, financial services, and the broader economy. Over the years, he has built a reputation for delivering accurate, insightful, and impactful stories, supported by a keen eye for detail and a consistent track record of breaking exclusive news.
An alumnus of Jamia Millia Islamia, Harsh closely follows regulatory changes and key economic trends shaping India’s financial and industrial landscape. His reporting aims to simplify complex policy issues for a wider audience while maintaining depth and credibility.
Outside of work, he enjoys tracking policy developments, finding scoops, and travelling, reflecting his curiosity about how economic decisions shape everyday life.
Source: Livemint — Politics
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