It seems the government has “appointed a guard to watch the pond.”
The appointment of IAS officer Naresh Pal Gangwar whose name had earlier been linked to corruption allegations as the new Higher Education Secretary of the country has triggered sharp reactions across the nation.
The officer was previously accused of a conflict of interest for allegedly facilitating government subsidies for members of his own family. Although the allegations have not been proven yet, appointing a senior officer with such a controversial past to one of the most important positions in the Education Ministry has sparked widespread debate.
On Thursday night, as part of a bureaucratic reshuffle in the Education Ministry, the Central Government appointed Naresh Pal Gangwar as Secretary of the Department of Higher Education. The previous secretary, Vineet Joshi has been transferred to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. Education Ministry Already Under Fire For the past two months, the Education Ministry has been facing intense criticism over the NEET-UG paper leak controversies around CBSE evaluation and the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA) .
Amid this, student protests demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan are ongoing at Jantar Mantar, Delhi under the leadership of the Cockroach Janta Party.
In this context, the decision to change the top bureaucrat in the Education Ministry was seen as an important administrative move by the Centre. But within hours of the announcement, Gangwar’s past controversy resurfaced and went viral on social media.
In an investigative report published in June this year, news outlet The Indian Express alleged that while Gangwar was associated with the National Horticulture Board his mother, wife and son received subsidies worth approximately Rs 1.16 crore under the Protected Cultivation Scheme’. Questions were also raised at the time about whether these approvals created a conflict of interest.
After his appointment to the Education Ministry, the same allegations were raised again and sparked massive discussion online. Many protesters involved in the NEET movement also questioned the government’s decision.
Gangwar’s Response
However, Naresh Pal Gangwar has denied all allegations. In an interview with The Indian Express the officer said that his mother and son are not “dependent family members” as per the All India Services (Conduct) Rules .He also claimed that all information regarding his wife’s assets was declared as per rules.
It is noteworthy that no government investigation or inquiry has so far found proof that Gangwar violated any law or service conduct rules.
But at a time when efforts are underway to restore public trust in the education system, appointing an officer with such a controversial past to the post has continued to draw political and social backlash.
IAS Officer Facing Corruption Allegations Appointed Education Secretary! Centre’s Decision Sparks Nationwide Outrage
