Education Ministry reshuffle: Naresh Pal Gangwar named Higher Education

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The reshuffle also appoints Sushil Kumar Lohani to head the Animal Husbandry Department and T K Anil Kumar as School Education Secretary.

By Ankita Upadhyay

Updated - July 24, 2026 at 07:21 PM.

In a major reshuffle in the education ministry, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved moving Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and appointing Animal Husbandry and Dairying Secretary Naresh Pal Gangwar as the new Higher Education Secretary.

According to the order issued on July 23, Vineet Joshi, a 1992-batch IAS officer of the Manipur cadre, will take over as Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj after the superannuation of Vivek Bhardwaj on July 31.

Naresh Pal Gangwar, a 1994-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, has been appointed Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, replacing Vineet Joshi.

Gangwar is currently serving as Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

Lohani to succeed Gangwar in Animal Husbandry Department

Following his transfer, Sushil Kumar Lohani, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, has been named Officer on Special Duty in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying and will assume charge as Secretary after Gangwar moves to the Higher Education Department.

Gangwar was serving as the Secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

Opposition slams new appointment

Naresh Pal Gangwar, IAS Rajasthan Care 1994 batch, recently came under public scrutiny following an investigation into horticulture subsidies received by members of his family under a Central government scheme. A news report said that Gangwar’s mother, wife and son collectively received over ₹1.16 crore in subsidies over five years under the National Horticulture Board’s scheme for commercial horticulture projects in Rajasthan. The projects were mainly for protected cucumber cultivation in Jaipur district.

The appointment of Naresh Pal Gangwar as Higher Education Secretary drew criticism from Opposition leaders, who questioned the government’s decision in light of the recent controversy involving subsidies received by his family members. CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas criticised the appointment in a post on X, saying, “The ultimate farce! While the nation demands accountability for exam scams & paper leaks, Govt appoints Naresh Pal Gangwar as the new Higher Education Secretary! This is the same IAS officer whose mother, wife & son collectively received over ₹1.16 crore in government subsidies under the National Horticulture Board scheme for “encouraging commercial crops” (cucumber cultivation). This the way PM ensuring accountability..,” said John Brittas.

Cockroach Janta Party founding president Abhijit Dipke also questioned the move and said that replacing one bureaucrat with another facing serious corruption allegations is a direct insult to young people across India.

“The government is rewarding corruption instead of ensuring accountability! Last night, the Education Secretary was transferred. He was replaced by an IAS officer from the Animal Husbandry Department who has severe multi-crore corruption charges against him. The entire crisis around paper leaks and NEET was about systemic corruption. Replacing one bureaucrat with another facing serious corruption allegations is a direct INSULT to young people across India. Is this the “compromise” the government expects us to accept? This is not accountability. We will not stop until Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns . Gangwar was serving as the Secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying,” he wrote on social media platform X. 

Gangwar’s academic background and administrative experience

A trained engineer, he holds a BTech in Electronics and Communication from the University of Roorkee, an MTech in Communication from IIT Delhi, and an MA in Economics from the University of Rajasthan. Over the course of his career, he has held several senior positions in both the Rajasthan government and the Centre, including as Principal Secretary in the Rajasthan government and Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

T K Anil Kumar appointed School Education Secretary

As part of the reshuffle, the ACC appointed T K Anil Kumar, a 1996-batch IAS officer of the Karnataka cadre serving as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Rural Development, as Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy.

Published on July 24, 2026

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