'Deep-rooted corruption': New edu secretary subject of report on alleged scam, flag CJP, opposition

Hours after the government appointed Naresh Pal Gangwar as the new higher education secretary, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, opposition, and activists have flagged an Indian Express investigation into him. The report stated that Gangwar’s close family members received government subsidies worth over Rs 1.16 crore. CJP Protest LIVE.

According to the Indian Express report, published in June this year, Naresh Pal Gangwar, a 1994-batch Rajasthan-cadre IAS officer’s mother, wife, and son received the subsidies under the development of commercial horticulture through production and post-harvest management of horticulture crops scheme by the National Horticulture Board (NHB), under the ministry of agriculture and farmers’ welfare.

Pawan Khera, Member of Parliament (RS), chairman, media and publicity department, AICC, member Congress Working Committee, took to his social media account and shared the report on Gangwar minutes after his appointment as the new higher education secretary amid the CJP protests at Jantar Mantar and across the country.

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Khera wrote on X: “Narendra Modi has run out of clean faces to hide behind. To protect Vineet Joshi, the government has replaced the Education Secretary with someone who should himself be under scrutiny. New Education Secretary Naresh Pal Gangwar's wife, mother and son collectively received over ₹1.16 crore in National Horticulture Board subsidies while he served as Secretary, Animal Husbandry & Fisheries. That’s how deep-rooted corruption is in this government.”

Moreover, slamming the Centre over the appointment of Gangwar as the new higher education secretary, CJP’s founder Dipke said that the government is rewarding corruption instead of ensuring accountability.

“Last night, the Education Secretary was transferred. He was replaced by an IAS officer from the Animal Husbandry Department who has severe multi-crore corruption charges against him. The entire crisis around paper leaks and NEET was about systemic corruption. Replacing one bureaucrat with another facing serious corruption allegations is a direct INSULT to young people across India.”

He also expressed: “Is this the "compromise" the government expects us to accept? This is not accountability. We will not stop until Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.”

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) removed Vineet Joshi as the higher education secretary amid the CJP protest and appointed Gangwar, who earlier held the position of secretary, department of animal husbandry and dairying, ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying.

In addition, the committee has also appointed TK Anil Kumar as the secretary, department of school education and literacy under the ministry of education. Kumar was the additional secretary, department of rural development, ministry of rural development.