Centre Replaces Vineet Joshi with Naresh Pal Gangwar as Higher Education Secretary Amid NEET Row

New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday replaced Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi in a major bureaucratic reshuffle amid the ongoing controversy over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and demands for greater accountability in the examination system.

According to a government notification, Vineet Joshi has been appointed Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. He had been serving as Secretary of the Department of Higher Education since January 2025.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed Naresh Pal Gangwar, a 1994-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, as the new Secretary of the Department of Higher Education. Gangwar was previously serving as Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

The government has also appointed T K Anil Kumar, a 1995-batch IAS officer of the Karnataka cadre, as Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy.

The reshuffle comes at a time when the Ministry of Education is facing criticism over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and examination-related irregularities. Student organisations and Opposition parties have been demanding accountability and action against those responsible.

The changes follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement that the Centre will establish fast-track courts to ensure the speedy disposal of paper leak cases and bring legislation to strengthen the examination system.

The latest reshuffle is being seen as the first major administrative change in the Education Ministry since the controversy intensified.

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