Senior bureaucrat Deepti Gaur Mukerjee, IAS, has been appointed as India's new Higher Education Secretary. Mukerjee is replacing Vineet Joshi, IAS, as the
Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education. Mukerjee is a 1993-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, and was earlier serving as Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Vineet Joshi, IAS, who was earlier the Secretary, has now been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj. The reshuffle also includes changes in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Pallavi Jain Govil, IAS, who is currently the Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, will now be succeeding Mukerjee as the Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs. As part of the reshuffle, Sushil Kumar Lohani, IAS, Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority of India, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, has been appointed Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, succeeding Govil. Other changes are: V. L. Kantha Rao, IAS (MP:92), Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti as Officer on Special Duty, Department of Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India. The officer will take over as Secretary, Department of Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs. Archana Varma, IAS (AM:95), Mission Director, National Water Mission, Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti as Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti. Sunil Paliwal, IAS (TN:93), Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority of India, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways as Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
Why Was Vineet Joshi Transferred?
Vineet Joshi, a 1992 batch IAS (Manipur cadre), was transferred to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj amid the students protests that were taking place at Jantar Mantar. Students were protesting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET UG paper leak and other alleged irregularities in the education system.
When he was transferred, Joshi was also holding the charge of school education secretary after Sanjay Kumar retired from the post on June 30. He was also the acting chairperson of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
