IIT-trained bureaucrat with dual engineering and economics degrees replaces Vineet Joshi as government navigates paper-leak fallout
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has named IAS officer Naresh Pal Gangwar as Secretary of the Department of Higher Education, a reshuffle unfolding against the backdrop of ongoing Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protests demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
Gangwar, a 1994-batch Rajasthan-cadre officer currently heading the animal husbandry and dairying department, will take over from 1992-batch officer Vineet Joshi, who has been moved to the Department of Panchayati Raj.
A B.Tech in Electronics and Communications from IIT Roorkee, Gangwar also holds a Master’s in Communication and Radar Engineering from IIT Delhi and a Master’s in Economics from the University of Rajasthan. He previously served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, overseeing pollution control and hazardous substances management, and earlier as Principal Secretary to the Rajasthan government.
The appointment comes as CJP, which grew from a satirical social media movement into a youth-led protest at Jantar Mantar since June 20, prepares for a Friday meeting between its delegation and Union ministers at the Constitution Club of India. The development follows Sonam Wangchuk’s decision to end his 26-day hunger strike after receiving government assurances
About The Author
