NEW DELHI – The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved a significant top-level bureaucratic reshuffle, with Naresh Pal Gangwar (IAS: RJ:94) appointed as the new Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education. The announcement, made on Thursday, July 24, 2026, sees Gangwar transition from his previous role as Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying.
Gangwar replaces Vineet Joshi (IAS: MN:92), who will now serve as the Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, following the superannuation of Vivek Bharadwaj (IAS: WB:90) on July 31. The government order did not specify an official reason for the sweeping changes.
Key Appointments Across Ministries
The reshuffle extends beyond the Ministry of Education, impacting several other critical departments:
- Sushil Kumar Lohani (IAS: OR:96), currently Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, has been appointed Officer on Special Duty in the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying. He is slated to take over as Secretary of the department.
- Katikithala Srinivas (IAS: GJ:89) moves from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to become Secretary, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).
- Piyush Goyal (IAS: NL:94), previously Secretary, Ministry of Mines, is now Secretary General of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) with the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India. He will be succeeded by Keshav Chandra (IAS: AGMUT:96) in the Ministry of Mines.
- T.K. Anil Kumar (IAS: KN:95) has been named Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy.
- D. Thara (IAS: GJ:96) has been elevated to Secretary, Department of Capital Development in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
- Other notable appointments include Chandra Bhushan Kumar (IAS: AGMUT:95) as Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment; Satendra Singh (IAS: JH:95) as Secretary, Department of Urban Development; B. Rajender (IAS: BH:96) as Director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA); and Suchindra Misra (IDAS:92) as Secretary, National Commission for Minorities.
- Archana Varma (IAS: AM:96) has been appointed Mission Director, National Water Mission, and will also assume the role of Secretary, Department of Official Language after Ansuli Arya's retirement on September 30.
Additionally, the ACC approved the in-situ upgradation to Special Secretary rank for Mritunjay Kumar Narayan (IAS: UP:95), Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, and Santosh Kumar Yadav (IAS: UP:95), Chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
Context of the Reshuffle
The extensive changes occur amidst ongoing protests in New Delhi regarding alleged irregularities in the NEET examination. While the government did not link the reshuffle to these events, BJP MP Dr. Nishikant Dubey praised the move, suggesting Prime Minister Modi replaced the Education Secretary due to perceived negligence in a paper leak case and promised strict action against those responsible.