New Delhi: The Ministry of Education has assigned Higher Education Secretary Deepti Gaur Mukherjee the additional charge of Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC). The development comes shortly after Mukherjee was appointed as Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, in a recent top-level bureaucratic reshuffle.

According to the Education Ministry's official notice, Mukherjee has been entrusted with the additional charge of the UGC chairman's post while continuing in her role as Higher Education Secretary and as a UGC member.

Deepti Gaur Mukherjee Gets Additional Charge of UGC Chairman

Mukherjee's additional charge as UGC Chairman took effect on August 12, 2026. She will continue to hold the post until a regular chairman is appointed, she ceases to be a member of the UGC, or until further orders, according to the ministry notice.

The temporary arrangement comes at a time when the higher education sector is undergoing several administrative and policy-level changes.

Mukherjee Appointed Higher Education Secretary

Before taking the additional charge of UGC Chairman, Deepti Gaur Mukherjee was appointed Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, on August 11, 2026.

She is a 1993-batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre and has held several senior administrative positions at the Centre and in Madhya Pradesh. Her appointment as Higher Education Secretary followed a government-level bureaucratic reshuffle.

Mukherjee succeeded Vineet Joshi as Higher Education Secretary. Joshi has since been appointed Secretary of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

Change in Higher Education Leadership

Mukherjee's appointment followed an earlier decision to appoint Naresh Pal Gangwar as Higher Education Secretary. However, Gangwar did not join the department, following controversy surrounding allegations linked to his family and government horticulture subsidies, according to the information provided in the government's reshuffle-related coverage.

The latest arrangement places the Department of Higher Education and the country's higher education regulator under the additional administrative charge of the same senior official.

What Is the UGC Chairman's Role?

The University Grants Commission (UGC) is India's statutory higher education regulator responsible for maintaining standards in university education, advising governments on higher education matters and coordinating and monitoring the development of universities and colleges.

As UGC Chairman, Mukherjee will oversee the commission's functioning during the interim period until a regular appointment is made.

The additional charge is expected to ensure continuity in the functioning of the commission while the government proceeds with the appointment of a regular UGC Chairman.