The Centre announced major changes within the Education Ministry on Thursday — with a late-night order transferring and promoting 17 senior bureaucrats. The list of changes includes the appointment of senior IAS officer Naresh Pal Gangwar as the new Secretary for the Department of Higher Education, while TK Anil Kumar takes over the Department of School Education and Literacy. Both charges have been held by Vineet Joshi alongside his role as acting chairperson of the University Grants Commission in recent months.

The Committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued orders on transfers and promotions of 17 senior bureaucrats amid nation-wide protests over the NEET-UG paper leak and other issues. Meanwhile the Cockroach Janata Party and its supporters have maintained their call for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign.

Who are Naresh Pal Gangwar and TK Anil Kumar?

Gangwar was posted as the secretary in the Ministry of Animal Husbandry, while Kumar was the additional secretary in the Ministry of Rural Development. They will replace 1992-batch officer Vineet Joshi following his appointment as the secretary in the Panchayati Raj ministry. 

The new Secretary for the Department of Higher Education is a 1994-batch Rajasthan-cadre IAS officer. He was appointed as Secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying last year. Prior to that, Gangwar had served as Joint Secretary for the Environment Ministry and as Principal Secretary to the Rajasthan government. He holds over three decades of administrative experience across district administration, state governance and beyond. 

According to a short profile page on the World Bank website, Gangwar holds a Bachelor of Technology in Electronics and Communications degree from IIT Roorkee. He also has two masters degrees — one in Communication and Radar Engineering from IIT Delhi, and another in Economics from University of Rajasthan.

The order posted late on Thursday night also promoted 1995-batch officer TK Anil Kumar to the role of secretary in the Department of School Education and Literacy. He was previously serving as the additional secretary in the Ministry of Rural Development.

CJP maintains demand for resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan

Activist Sonam Wangchuk also ended his fast late on Thursday in the presence of two Union Ministers after appeals from dozens of members of parliament and “a long negotiation on various conditions and in view of possible violence in the country.” But the Cockroach Janata Party and its supporters have indicated plans to continue their agitation. The CJP has also called for demonstrations across the country on Friday in solidarity with students who were injured in a severe clash with police on Monday. 

“Modi ji, remove Dharmendra Pradhan tomorrow. That’s the strictest action you can take,” PTI quoted CJP national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka as insisting. 

The remarks came soon after the PM announced that a bill providing for stringent action against paper leaks would be introduced in Parliament.