Amid NEET Paper Leak Protest, Vineet Joshi Removed as Secy Higher Education; ACC Appoints New Secretary
By Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, July 23, 2026:
Amid ongoing protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination, the Centre late Thursday night appointed senior IAS officer Naresh Pal Gangwar as the new Secretary of the Department of Higher Education. He replaces Vineet Joshi, who has been transferred as Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
The transition came as part of a major top-level bureaucratic reshuffle approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). Gangwar, a 1994-batch Rajasthan cadre IAS officer, was previously serving as Secretary in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. Holding a Master's degree in Economics from Rajasthan University, he has held several key administrative roles at both the Centre and in the Rajasthan government.
Joshi, a 1992-batch Manipur cadre IAS officer, completes his tenure in Higher Education following intense public scrutiny over examination reforms.