India's education system has taken a giant leap with the introduction of the new National Education Policy (NEP), newly appointed Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Thursday.

Pradhan was given the education portfolio in a reshuffle-cum-expansion of the Union Council of Ministers on Wednesday. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Subhas Sekhar and Annapurna Devi were appointed as Ministers of State for Education.

In his first meeting as Education Minister, Pradhan said, "The Indian education system has taken a giant leap with the introduction of NEP, towards fostering an environment for creating a future-ready India. The policy has not only been welcomed in India but also foreign countries."

"We are committed to making students and the youth the primary stakeholders in propelling India towards an equitable knowledge society," he said.

The meeting presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was attended by heads of centrally funded technical institutions, including IITs and IISc.