Pralhad Joshi takes charge as India's education minister, calls it a 'new subject'

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi assumed additional charge of the education ministry on Sunday, acknowledging it as a new domain requiring his focused attention. He immediately began reviewing the ministry's operations, schemes, and initiatives at Kartavya Bhavan in New Delhi.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given him “this huge responsibility based on trust and belief.”

Joshi, who also holds portfolios for consumer affairs, food and public distribution, and new and renewable energy, stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi entrusted him with this significant responsibility. He emphasized his commitment to understanding the complexities of the education sector, noting that he spent his first day gathering information and holding detailed discussions with senior officials. "This is a very big department, so I will speak to you in detail after I have understood it completely," Joshi told reporters.

The transition occurs after President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, the former education minister. Pradhan's departure followed weeks of student protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar over alleged paper leaks and irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) examination. The CJP announced the end of their protest after a joint press conference with the government.

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I have been gathering information and trying to understand the functioning of the entire ministry. We had continuous meetings today. This is a new subject for me. I have taken charge today and held detailed discussions with the senior officers. It is a very big department, so I will speak to you in detail after I have understood it completely.

During the review meeting, officials briefed Joshi on various bureaus within the school education and higher education departments. They provided insights into ongoing initiatives and major schemes driving the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Joshi's predecessor, Dharmendra Pradhan, was replaced by IAS Naresh Pal Gangwar as secretary of the ministry of panchayati raj, while Gangwar himself is set to be replaced by IAS Naresh Pal Gangwar on August 1.

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It was an introductory meeting soon after he took charge. We briefed him about ongoing initiatives of the ministry and major schemes driving the implementation of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.