Modifying its earlier order, the government on Monday appointed Deepti Gaur Mukerjee as the new Higher Education Secretary in place of Naresh Pal Gangwar.In an order, the Department of Personnel and Training said that “In partial modification of earlier order” issued on July 23, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Deepti Gaur Mukerjee, Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, as Secretary, Department of Higher Education.She succeeds Vineet Joshi, who has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj.Prior to the order, Mukerjee, a 1993-batch IAS officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre, was serving as the Corporate Affairs Secretary.Read | Among beneficiaries of Centre’s scheme: wife, son, mother of IAS officerIt was on July 23 that the government appointed Gangwar as the new Higher Education Secretary following Joshi’s transfer. The move came in view of the students’ protests in Jantar Mantar over the NEET paper leaks.However, Joshi continued to hold the office until date, leaving Gangwar unable to take up his new assignment. The former was supposed to take over as the new Panchayati Raj Secretary after the incumbent Vivek Bharadwaj superannuated on July 31. But he did not. As Joshi remained in his role as Higher Education Secretary, Gangwar continued in his, as the Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.Gangwar is a 1994-batch AIS officer from the Rajasthan cadre. His family earlier received Rs 1.16 crore subsidy for their cucumber farm under a Central scheme.Story continues below this adIn another batch of transfers, the ACC appointed V K Kantha Rao, a 1992-batch IAS officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre, as OSD, Department of Official Language, MHA, in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.He will join his new assignment after Ansuli Arya, who superannates on September 30, 2026. Roa is presently the Secretary of the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.Archana Varma, a 1995-batch IAS officer from Assam-Meghalaya cadre, who was earlier appointed as the OSD in the Department of Official Language, will now succeed Rao as new Water Resources Secretary.Meanwhile, Youth Affairs Secretary Pallavi Jain Govil has been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, and Sushil Kumar Lohani, a 1995-batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre, has been appointed as Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority of India.Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister’s Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read More