Pralhad Joshi appointed India's new education minister

Pralhad Joshi has been appointed as India's new Union Education Minister, following the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan amid protests over the NEET medical entrance exam paper leak.

The President's office announced in a notification on Saturday evening that after accepting Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, Pralhad Joshi has been given additional charge of the Union Education Ministry.

Pralhad Joshi is currently serving as the Union Minister for Food and Consumer Affairs. He will continue to hold that portfolio alongside his new responsibilities.

Earlier, 57-year-old Dharmendra Pradhan submitted his resignation today amid a 35-day-long protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar against the paper leak.

In his resignation letter, he said he had taken the decision so that "anti-national forces" could not use the situation to their advantage.

Within hours of the resignation, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) spokespersons Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, along with central ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh, announced the withdrawal of the protest at a joint press conference. They said the central government's assurance of meeting their demands had led to the "goodwill" decision to end the movement.

The cabinet change is being seen as a significant step in addressing the ongoing crisis in India's education sector amid nationwide student and opposition protests over the paper leak allegations.