The Centre on Monday night announced a major bureaucratic reshuffle, appointing senior IAS officer Deepti Gaur Mukerjee as the new Secretary of the Department of Higher Education.

Mukerjee, a 1993-batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, will succeed Vineet Joshi, who was appointed Secretary of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj last month.

Mukerjee Appointed After Gangwar’s Selection Put on Hold

The latest appointment comes barely three weeks after Rajasthan-cadre IAS officer Naresh Pal Gangwar was named Higher Education Secretary in the July 23 order. His appointment was subsequently kept in abeyance.

Gangwar’s proposed appointment had attracted criticism on social media over reports concerning government horticulture subsidies received by his family members for commercial cucumber cultivation under a National Horticulture Board scheme.

According to reports, the family had received subsidies exceeding ₹1 crore, with the last tranche reportedly released after Gangwar assumed charge as Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

Multiple Senior-Level Changes

According to the latest Personnel Ministry order, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved Mukerjee’s appointment as Higher Education Secretary.

Mukerjee was previously serving as Corporate Affairs Secretary. Pallavi Jain Govil, currently the Youth Affairs Secretary, will succeed her as Corporate Affairs Secretary.

Sunil Paliwal, Chairman of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), has been appointed Youth Affairs Secretary in place of Govil.

Meanwhile, Sushil Kumar Lohani, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Cabinet Secretariat, will take over as the new Chairman of IWAI.

Changes in Official Language Department

The reshuffle also includes a change in the Ministry of Home Affairs. V L Kantha Rao, Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, has been appointed Officer on Special Duty in the Department of Official Language.

Rao will take over as Secretary of the Department of Official Language after the retirement of incumbent Secretary Ansuli Arya at the end of next month.

The latest reshuffle comes amid heightened attention on the higher education sector, including issues surrounding examinations and the NEET controversy.

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