GUWAHATI: In a significant administrative reshuffle amid mounting protests over examination paper leaks, the Centre has replaced Education Secretary Vineet Joshi, marking the first major bureaucratic move since demands for accountability intensified across the country.
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According to a late-night government notification issued on Thursday, July 23, Joshi has been transferred from the Department of Higher Education to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj as Secretary. He had taken charge as Higher Education Secretary in January 2025.
The reshuffle, approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), includes 13 secretary-level appointments and four in-situ upgrades.
Naresh Pal Gangwar, a 1994-batch Rajasthan cadre IAS officer currently serving as Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, has been appointed the new Secretary, Department of Higher Education.
Meanwhile, T K Anil Kumar, a 1995-batch Karnataka cadre IAS officer and Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Rural Development, has been appointed Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy.
The changes come as the Ministry of Education faces intense scrutiny following the NEET-UG question paper leak and allegations of irregularities in the evaluation of CBSE board examinations. Student groups and opposition parties have been demanding greater accountability and action against those responsible for examination-related lapses.
The bureaucratic reshuffle also follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement that the government would establish fast-track courts for the speedy disposal of paper leak cases and introduce measures to strengthen the examination system. In a video statement issued on Thursday night, the
Prime Minister said further action on paper leak cases would be taken on Friday and that the government would seek to introduce a bill in Parliament next week to address the issue.