Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has been appointed as the new Education Minister following the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday. He has been given the additional charge of the Ministry of Education.
The development comes after President Droupadi Murmu accepted Pradhan’s resignation. The President has directed that Joshi, a Cabinet Minister, be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Education in addition to his existing portfolio.
“The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has accepted the resignation of Shri Dharmendra Pradhan from the Union Council of Ministers, with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution of India. Further, as advised by the Prime Minister, the President has directed that Shri Pralhad Joshi, Cabinet Minister, be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Education, in addition to his existing portfolio.” the Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a press release.
Who Is Pralhad Joshi?
The BJP leader is the Member of Parliament from Dharwad in Karnataka. He currently serves as the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in the Government of India. He also serves as the President of the International Solar Alliance.
Dharmendra Pradhan Resigns
Earlier in the day, Pradhan tendered his resignation after days of nationwide protests over the NEET paper leak and irregularities in the education system. His resignation was accepted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a social media post, Pradhan said he submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Modi, saying that he chose to step down to prevent “anti-national forces” from spreading confusion and taking advantage of the situation.
Pradhan’s resignation was the main demand of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which has been leading a massive protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar for several weeks. The talks between the CJP and Centre were deadlocked over Pradhan’s resignation.
In his post, Pradhan said he had dedicated more than four decades to serving students, teachers, and advancing educational reforms. He also expressed gratitude to PM Modi for giving him the opportunity to serve as the Union Education Minister. He acknowledged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination held on May 3 and said he had never shied away from taking responsibility for the situation. Later in the day, the CJP announced to end its agitation following talks with the government.
