Higher Education Secretary replaced amid nationwide anger over exam paper leaks

The appointments come at a time when the government has been facing student protests led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) over the past several days.

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 24, 2026 05:32 AM IST

Amid CJP protest, shops and establishments around CP to be shut by 6:30 pm

Protestors gather amidst slogans, medicare and food, under the watch of a sizeable security cordon at the Cockroach Janata Party protest in New Delhi on Thursday. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

In a major bureaucratic reshuffle, the Centre on Thursday shifted Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, and appointed two new Secretaries in the Ministry of Education.

The Ministry of Education has been at the centre of a controversy due to the NEET-UG question paper leak and irregularities in the CBSE’s evaluation of board exams.

While Naresh Pal Gangwar has been appointed as the Higher Education Secretary, T K Anil Kumar has been brought in as Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy. Gangwar, a 1994-batch Rajasthan-cadre IAS officer, is currently the Animal Husbandry Secretary. Anil Kumar, a 1995-batch Karnataka-cadre IAS officer, is posted as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Rural Development.

Joshi was also holding the charge of School Education Secretary, and was the acting chairperson of the University Grants Commission (UGC) too. He has also served as the Director General of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

According to the order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Joshi will succeed current Panchayati Raj Secretary Vivek Bhardwaj, who is superannuating at the end of the month.

In other changes, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, which is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has Home Minister Amit Shah as the other member, has appointed D Thara, a 1995-batch Gujarat-cadre IAS officer, as the Secretary of the newly created Department of Capital Development in the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.

Satyendra Singh, a 1995-batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre, has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Urban Development. He is currently posted as the Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat.

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Urban Development Secretary Katikithala Srinivas, a 1989-batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre, has been shifted as Secretary, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.

Chandra Bhushan Kumar, a 1995-batch IAS officer of AGMUT cadre, has been appointed as the new Labour Secretary, succeeding Vandana Gurnani, who is superannuating on July 31.

Mines Secretary Piyush Goyal has been given new charge as the Secretary, National Human Rights Commission. Keshav Chandra, a 1995-batch IAS officer of AGMUT cadre, has been appointed as the new Mines Secretary.

Sushil Kumar Lohani, a 1995-batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre, has been appointed as the new Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

Harikishan Sharma

Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister’s Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read More

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