The central government reshuffled its top bureaucracy on 23 July 2026, appointing Naresh Pal Gangwar as secretary of the Department of Higher Education. Gangwar, a 1994-batch IAS officer from the Rajasthan cadre, takes over from Vineet Joshi, a 1992-batch officer who has been moved to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj as Secretary. Joshi will take charge there once current secretary Vivek Bhardwaj retires on 31 July. The reshuffle was carried out by the Central government as part of routine bureaucratic changes at the senior IAS level.

Who Is Naresh Pal Gangwar?

Gangwar was born on 21 October 1970 in Nainital and cleared the UPSC civil services exam in 1993, joining the IAS in the 1994 batch.

Naresh Pal Education Overview 

He holds a B.Tech. in Electronics and Communication Engineering, an M.Tech. in Communication and Radar, and a separate Master's degree in Economics, giving him a technical as well as economic grounding rare among career bureaucrats.

Naresh Pal Gangwar Earlier Experience 

In 2014, Gangwar was appointed Secretary of the School Education Department in the Rajasthan government, a role that kept him engaged with education policy and administration for several years. After close to two and a half decades of state service, he moved to the Centre in 2020, first as joint secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change in December that year, then as Additional Secretary in the same ministry from January 2022. In August 2025, he was named Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, before his latest appointment to the education ministry this July.

The central government reshuffled its top bureaucracy on 23 July 2026, appointing Naresh Pal Gangwar as secretary of the Department of Higher Education. Gangwar, a 1994-batch IAS officer from the Rajasthan cadre, takes over from Vineet Joshi, a 1992-batch officer who has been moved to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj as Secretary. Joshi will take charge there once current secretary Vivek Bhardwaj retires on 31 July. The reshuffle was carried out by the Central government as part of routine bureaucratic changes at the senior IAS level.