Naresh Pal Gangwar Appointed Higher Education Secretary

In a major bureaucratic reshuffle, senior IAS officer Naresh Pal Gangwar has been appointed Secretary of the Department of Higher Education. A 1994-batch Rajasthan-cadre officer, Gangwar succeeds Vineet Joshi, who will take over as Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj after Vivek Bhardwaj’s retirement on July 31.

Born on October 21, 1970, in Nainital, Gangwar holds a B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering, an M.Tech in Communication and Radar, and a Master’s degree in Economics. He cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 1993.

Gangwar has served as District Collector in Tonk, Sawai Madhopur, Jhalawar, Jodhpur, and Bharatpur. In 2014, he became Rajasthan’s School Education Secretary, gaining extensive experience in education administration. He joined the Centre in 2020 as Joint Secretary in the Environment Ministry, became Additional Secretary in 2022, and since August 2025 has served as Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.