New Delhi: Naresh Pal Gangwar, who took over as the new secretary of the Department of Higher Education, Government of India, will have his hands full in the days to come, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing plans to tighten screws against those involved in examination paper leaks.
Gangwar, a 1994-batch IAS officer, has replaced Vineet Joshi, who has moved to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj as Secretary. This reshuffle comes at a time when students have been protesting against the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and demanding greater accountability and examination reforms.
While the transfers have not been officially linked to the ongoing protests, the timing has drawn significant attention, as reported by News18.
Before his latest appointment, Gangwar served as secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
He is an engineer by training, with a strong academic background. He holds a BTech in Electronics and Communication from the University of Roorkee and an MTech in Communication from IIT Delhi.
Gangwar later earned an MA in Economics from the University of Rajasthan. His blend of engineering and economics has shaped a career spanning environmental governance, state administration and policy implementation.
He has held several key assignments in both the Rajasthan government and the Centre for nearly three decades. He served as principal secretary in the Rajasthan government and later as joint secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, where he handled important subjects including pollution control, hazardous substances management and environmental regulation.
The officer will now be responsible for steering policy on universities, higher educational institutions, technical education and flagship reforms under the National Education Policy (NEP), besides addressing the immediate challenge of restoring public confidence in India’s examination system.
Joshi, meanwhile, is a 1992-batch IAS officer of the Manipur cadre and one of the country’s most experienced education administrators.
An alumnus of IIT Kanpur, with an MBA from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), Joshi has spent much of his career in the education sector.
He was chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and later served as the director general of the National Testing Agency (NTA), the body responsible for conducting major entrance examinations such as NEET and JEE, before being appointed higher education secretary.
He also headed the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and held several senior positions in the Ministry of Education. He also oversaw the school education and literacy department.