The official notice of the education ministry read, “Ms Deepti Gaur Mukerjee, Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Member, University Grants Commission (UGC) is hereby entrusted with the additional charge of the post of Chairman, UGC.” Mukherjee’s additional charge as the UGC chairman took effect on August 12 and will remain until a regular chairman is appointed, she ceases to be a UGC member, or until further orders, the notice read. According to the ministry's notice, Mukherjee, a former senior bureaucrat who is currently secretary of the Department of Higher Education and a member of the UGC, has been entrusted with the additional charge of chairman of the UGC. Her appointment comes shortly after she took charge as the higher education secretary on August 11, succeeding Vineet Joshi, IAS. She is a 1993-batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre and was previously serving as Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Mukherjee's appointment came after a top-level bureaucratic reshuffle approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). Naresh Pal Gangwar was initially appointed as the higher education secretary. However, he did not join the department due to the allegations of Rs 1.16 crore corruption which involved his family and government horticulture subsidies. Following the reshuffle, Vineet Joshi was appointed secretary of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. At present, Mukherjee is holding the additional responsibility of heading the UGC as the chairman while continuing in her role as higher education secretary. Professionals & enthusiasts who write about politics to science, from economy to education, from local issues to national events and global affairs, t... View More