Who is Naresh Pal Gangwar? IAS officer appointed education secretary amid nationwide student protests | Today’s news
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Thursday appointed IAS officer Naresh Pal Gangwar as Secretary, Ministry of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education, according to an official government notification.
The move marks a major bureaucratic shuffle amid ongoing protests against the NEET-UG paper leak and demands for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, news agency ANI reported.
Gangwar’s predecessor, Vineet Joshi, a 1992-batch officer, has now been transferred as secretary in the Panchayati Raj ministry.
Here’s what we know about Naresh Pal Gangwar, the new education minister
According to his profile on worldbank.org, Gangwar is a 1994-batch Rajasthan cadre officer who served as secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying. The new Education Secretary holds a Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) degree in Electronics and Communication from IIT Roorkee. He also holds a Masters in Communication and Radar Engineering from IIT Delhi.
He also holds another Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Rajasthan. Gangwar previously served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, where he headed divisions such as pollution control and hazardous substances management.
Prior to his post as Joint Secretary, he worked as Principal Secretary to the Government of Rajasthan and was instrumental in initiating key policies for the development of solar energy during the initial phase of the National Solar Mission from 2010 to 2014.
Student protest across India is gaining momentum
The major change in the education system comes at a time when the education ministry is under intense scrutiny, with students protesting across the country, demanding accountability and demanding the resignation of the education minister over alleged irregularities in the recent NEET-UG paper leak controversy. Since June 20, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a movement that started following remarks by the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Surya Kanta, has been staging a protest at Jantar Mantar in the national capital. The protest was later joined by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who held an indefinite hunger strike on 28 June and ended it on 23 July.
Earlier this week, students staged a ‘Chalo Sansad’ march on Monday, after which Delhi Police and the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) resorted to lathi charge and tear gas to stop the protesters, a move now condemned by opposition leaders. On Thursday, the CJP spokesperson said that the Center has agreed to the movement’s proposal to meet and the meeting is scheduled to be held at the Constitution Club of India on Friday. While Wangchuk ended his hunger strike in the presence of Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh at Medanta Hospital, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke reiterated that the protests would continue unless their demands were met.
PM Modi promises strict action against the perpetrators
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also posted a video on his social media account on Thursday promising strict punishment for the culprits involved in the paper leak. He also added that the government has decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and severe punishment.
Meanwhile, a fast-track court has been set up at the Rouse Avenue Court Complex to hear cases under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Fraud) Act 2024 along with other related offences. All such cases shall be referred to that designated special court for expedited proceedings.
Gangwar’s appointment comes at a time when the Center is stepping up administrative and legal measures to deal with the paper leak dispute amid ongoing nationwide student protests.
