‘This is a new subject for me’: Pralhad Joshi takes charge as education minister

Pralhad Joshi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given him “this huge responsibility based on trust and belief”

Union minister Pralhad Joshi on Sunday took additional charge of the education ministry at Kartavya Bhavan.

He chaired a meeting where he reviewed the implementation of various schemes and other initiatives of the department of school education and department of higher education, officials said.

Joshi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given him “this huge responsibility based on trust and belief.” He said he was in Karnataka on Saturday night and came to Delhi on Sunday morning and took charge at Kartavya Bhawan.

“I am reviewing all the details here and the decisions that need to be taken. 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,” he said.

Union minister of state of education Jayant Chaudhary along with higher education secretary Vineet Joshi, new school education secretary TK Anil Kumar and other senior officials of the ministry attended the review meeting.

According to a July 23 government order, Joshi will be replaced by IAS Naresh Pal Gangwar on August 1 as former will be replacing IAS Vivek Bhardwaj as secretary of ministry of panchayati raj upon Bhardwaj’s superannuation on July 31.

A senior official who briefed the newly appointed education minister Joshi during the meeting, said that officials provided information about various bureaus under both the departments of the ministry.

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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. He took charge on Sunday as he will have to attend the Parliament from Monday onwards,” the official said, requesting anonymity.

Joshi, who currently serves as the Union minister for consumer affairs, food and public distribution and new and renewable energy, has been given the additional charge of the education ministry after President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday accepted the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as education minister.

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Pradhan’s resignation came after 36-days long Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led student protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi over the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) paper leak and other alleged exam irregularities. Hours after this announcement, the CJP and the government held a joint presser, in which it was announced that the Abhijeet Dipke-led outfit was ending its protest because the Centre had agreed to all its demands.