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Who is Naresh Pal Gangwar? New education secretary appointed amid CJP protest
A 1994-batch Rajasthan-cadre IAS officer, Gangwar will replace 1992-batch officer Vineet Joshi.
Delhi has been witnessing protests led by Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities. Amid this, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed IAS officer Naresh Pal Gangwar as secretary of the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education.
Vineet Joshi, a 1992-batch officer whom Gangwar will succeed, has been transferred to the post of secretary in the Department of Panchayati Raj, according to an earlier HT report. Follow live updates on the CJP protest here.
Who is Naresh Pal Gangwar?
Gangwar, a 1994-batch Rajasthan cadre officer, is currently serving as the secretary of the animal husbandry and dairying department. He will replace 1992-batch officer Vineet Joshi.
Gangwar has a Bachelor of Technology in Electronics and Communications from IIT, Roorkee, according to his bio on worldbank.org. He also has a Master’s degree in Communication and Radar Engineering from IIT, Delhi.
Furthermore, he also holds a Master's degree in Economics from the University of Rajasthan.
Previously, he served as the joint secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. In this position, he headed divisions like pollution control and hazardous substances management.
He has also previously served as the Principal Secretary, Government of Rajasthan.
Also Read | 'End of hunger, beginning of accountability': Sonam Wangchuk on why he called off 26-day fast
CJP protest in Delhi
The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which emerged as a youth movement from a satirical social media response to remarks attributed to CJI Surya Kant in May this year has been holding a protest at Jantar Mantar since June 20. The protest intensified last weekend with the “forced” hospital admission of activist Sonam Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar amid his deteriorating health condition due to the hunger strike he started on June 28 to push for the demands of the protesters.
A delegation of the CJP is expected to meet Union government ministers on Friday. Constitution Club of India has been chosen as the venue for discussion between the CJP and the government, as demanded by the CJP, outfit's spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said.
The first direct meeting between CJP representatives and the government took place earlier this week.
In another significant development, activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike for 26 days, ended his fast in the presence of Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh and senior leaders of the Apex Body of Leh Ladakh.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured strict action against those responsible for the alleged paper leak.
In a video shared on X (formerly Twitter), PM Modi announced that the Union Cabinet will take up a draft Bill providing for Fast-Track Courts and stringent punishment for offenders.
