A day after the Centre appointed former Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla as the Governor of Manipur, it summoned the state’s Chief Secretary, Vineet Joshi, a 1992-batch Manipur cadre officer, to Delhi and appointed him as the new Secretary for Higher Education, reported The Print.
Joshi had been sent to Manipur on May 7 of the previous year, just days after violent clashes broke out in the state, to oversee the situation.
At that time, he was heading the National Testing Agency (NTA), which manages major entrance exams such as the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main. During this critical period, he replaced Rajesh Kumar as chief secretary.
Why was Joshi chosen for the post?
The Print reported that Joshi was chosen for the difficult task in Manipur due to his familiarity with the state’s administrative system, having held senior positions there. Additionally, his strong working relationship with Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, having served as his principal secretary in 2017, made him a suitable choice.
Joshi has also served as the Commissioner of Planning and Power and the state’s Resident Commissioner. A Manipur cadre officer, he began his career as the Deputy Secretary in the state’s Youth Affairs and Sports Department.
Familiarity with education ministry
Joshi, known for his efficiency, is not unfamiliar with the education ministry. During his previous central deputation, he served as Additional Secretary in the Department of Higher Education.
A BTech graduate in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, Joshi also holds a PhD from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT).
The position of Secretary for Higher Education became vacant after K Sanjay Murthy was appointed Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
The decision comes more than a year and a half after violence erupted in the valley. Manipur remains plagued by ethnic conflicts between the Meitei community, predominantly Hindu, and the tribal Kuki community, largely Christian.
Violence erupted in Manipur on May 3 of the previous year following a tribal solidarity march in the hill districts protesting the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The conflict has since claimed over 300 lives and displaced more than 60,000 people.
