New Delhi:
A senior bureaucrat has been fired from the education ministry, the government’s first big move as students across the country demand accountability for document leaks.
Education Minister Vineet Joshi has been replaced by Naresh Pal Gangwar, the government said in an official notification late on Thursday.
Joshi became Secretary of the Department of Higher Education in January 2025. He has now been appointed as Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
The government’s move comes amid massive protests by the satirical political outfit Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and opposition parties over leaked exam papers, including the NEET scandal.
Who are Joshi, Gangwar?
Joshi, who was appointed as the Manipur cadre officer in 1992, had previously served as the chief secretary of Manipur. He was also the first Director General of the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts competitive exams like NEET and JEE.
Joshi has also served as Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Education. He received a degree in mechanical engineering from IIT Kanpur and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT).
He will be replaced by Gangwar, a West Bengal cadre officer born in 1994, currently Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.