• ¨   Deepti Gaur Mukerjee was appointed as Secretary of the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education.

    ¨     She is a 1993-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre.

    ¨     Her appointment was made on 10 August 2026.

    ¨     The order was issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

    ¨   The appointment was part of a bureaucratic reshuffle involving several senior positions in the Union Government.

    ¨     The Department of Higher Education functions under the Ministry of Education.

    ¨     It deals with universities, colleges, technical education, and central higher education policy.

    ¨     The post of Secretary is the department’s highest administrative position.

    ¨     The position is generally held by an Indian Administrative Service officer.

    ¨     The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is one of the All India Services established under Article 312 of the Constitution of India.

    ¨     IAS officers are allotted different state cadres.

    ¨     Cadre allocations such as Madhya Pradesh cadre and Rajasthan cadre are a standard feature of the IAS structure.

    ¨     Vineet Joshi was transferred to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in July 2026.

    ¨     Deepti Gaur Mukerjee replaced him as Secretary of Higher Education.

    ¨   An order dated 23 July 2026 had earlier named Rajasthan-cadre IAS officer Naresh Pal Gangwar for the post, but the order was subsequently modified.