Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Sunday, 26 July 2026, assumed charge as the Union Education Minister, after President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan on 25 July 2026. Joshi will hold the Education portfolio in addition to his existing responsibilities as Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and New and Renewable Energy.

Joshi took charge of the ministry at Kartavya Bhavan in New Delhi and said he accepted the responsibility with humility. His appointment follows the government's decision to reassign the portfolio after Pradhan stepped down amid weeks of protests over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.

A five-time Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha MP from Dharwad in Karnataka, Joshi previously served as Union Minister for Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs between 2019 and 2024. He has been handling the Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and New and Renewable Energy ministries in the current government.

The Ministry of Education oversees school education, higher education and literacy through the Department of School Education and Literacy and the Department of Higher Education. It was renamed from the Ministry of Human Resource Development in 2020 under the National Education Policy.

President Murmu accepted Pradhan's resignation under Article 75(2) of the Constitution on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and directed that Joshi be assigned the Education Ministry in addition to his existing portfolios.

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