Senior IAS officer Naresh Pal Gangwar has been appointed as the new Secretary of the Department of Higher Education, replacing Vineet Joshi, who has been shifted to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.Gangwar’s appointment comes as the Centre steps up administrative and legal measures to address the paper leak controversy amid continuing nationwide student protests.The government’s move to quell tempered frays with this appointment seems to be missing the mark as the bureaucrat, his wife, mother and son are accused of being among the beneficiaries in Rajasthan of a scheme under the Ministry of Agriculture to promote commercial farming.CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas on Friday strongly condemned the appointment, calling the Central Government’s decision an “ultimate farce”.“This is the same IAS officer whose mother, wife & son collectively received over Rs 1.16 crore in government subsidies under the National Horticulture Board scheme for “encouraging commercial crops” (cucumber cultivation). This the way PM ensuring accountability..” he posted on X.Who is Naresh Pal Gangwar?Naresh Pal Gangwar is a 1994-batch IAS officer. Before his latest appointment, he served as Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.An engineer by training, Gangwar has a strong academic background. He holds a BTech in Electronics and Communication from the University of Roorkee, an MTech in Communication from IIT Delhi, and later earned an MA in Economics from the University of Rajasthan. His blend of engineering and economics has shaped a career spanning environmental governance, state administration and policy implementation.What all posts did he hold before? Over nearly three decades in public service, Gangwar has held several key assignments in both the Rajasthan government and the Centre. He has served as Principal Secretary in the Rajasthan government and later as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, where he handled important subjects, including pollution control, hazardous substances management and environmental regulation.What is the controversy?Reports claim three family members of Naresh Pal Gangwar received a total of over Rs 1.16 crore in subsidies across five years under the scheme titled “Development of Commercial Horticulture through Production and Post-Harvest Management of Horticulture crops”. The scheme is run by the National Horticulture Board (NHB) under the Union Agriculture Ministry.As the new Higher Education Secretary, Gangwar will now be responsible for steering policy on universities, higher educational institutions, technical education and flagship reforms under the National Education Policy (NEP), besides addressing the immediate challenge of restoring public confidence in India’s examination system.Since June 20, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a movement which began following the remarks of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, has been staging a protest at Jantar Mantar in the national capital. The protest was later joined by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who went on an indefinite hunger strike on June 28 and ended it on July 23.