Kashmir Impulse Desk

New Delhi, July 26

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced the formation of a high-powered task force led by technology entrepreneur Nandan Nilekani to recommend reforms to India’s public examination system, a day after a 36-day student agitation ended with the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The move is the latest attempt by the government to address mounting concerns over examination integrity, including allegations of paper leaks and irregularities that have fuelled protests by students across the country.

Modi said the task force would examine ways to make public examinations more trustworthy and transparent, with greater use of technology, and that the government would implement its recommendations once its report was submitted.

The panel will comprise experts from multiple fields and will focus on reforms to examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), which administers several major entrance and recruitment examinations in India.

Announcing the initiative in a post on X, Modi said the task force had been constituted under Nilekani’s leadership.

In a video message, he said the government had been taking a series of measures to address concerns affecting students and to ensure the credibility of the examination system.

“But we will have to think about the future. To make sure our examination system is trustworthy, transparent and the technology is used optimally, we have decided to constitute a high-powered committee headed by world-renowned technology expert Nandan Nilekani,” Modi said.

The prime minister said the panel would focus on examination reforms and that its recommendations would be implemented after the government received its report.

Nilekani, a co-founder of Infosys and the architect of India’s Aadhaar biometric identification programme, has played a prominent role in the development of the country’s digital public infrastructure.

Other members of the task force include former Indian Space Research Organisation chairman S Somanath, former Intelligence Bureau director Tapan Deka, IIT Madras director V Kamakoti, former education secretary Anita Karwal and logistics expert Amrit Lal Meena.

The announcement came a day after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) called off its 36-day protest following three rounds of negotiations with the government.

The CJP had been holding a sit-in at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar since June 20, demanding Pradhan’s resignation, accountability over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, action over irregularities in the Central Board of Secondary Education’s on-screen marking process and broader reforms to public examinations.

The agitation drew support from thousands of students and backing from major opposition parties, increasing pressure on the government to respond to the protesters’ demands.

The movement gathered further momentum after videos showing activist Sonam Wangchuk’s deteriorating health during a hunger strike circulated widely on social media.

Police forcibly moved Wangchuk to Safdarjung Hospital on July 18, an action that triggered anger among protesters and students.

Two days later, a major protest march towards Parliament met a strong police response, including the use of tear gas and a lathicharge, further escalating tensions.

The government and protesters subsequently held three rounds of talks before reaching an agreement on Saturday.

Under the agreement, Pradhan resigned as education minister, while the government also agreed to provide “honourable” compensation to families of students who allegedly died by suicide and withdraw FIRs registered against protesters in Delhi and other BJP-ruled states.

Modi said on Sunday that those responsible for harming the future of students had been arrested and that the government would introduce new legislation in Parliament to strengthen the legal framework against examination paper leaks.

The Centre is scheduled to introduce the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

The proposed legislation provides for the establishment of fast-track courts in every state to deal with paper-leak cases and calls for investigations to be completed within two months.

It also proposes tougher penalties, including imprisonment of up to 10 years and fines of up to Rs 50 lakh for individuals involved in paper leaks. Organised crimes linked to paper leaks could attract fines of up to Rs 10 crore.

The government’s moves come amid heightened scrutiny of India’s examination system, which plays a central role in determining admission to higher education and recruitment to public-sector jobs.

For millions of students, the integrity of competitive examinations has become a major concern, with allegations of question-paper leaks and other irregularities prompting demands for greater transparency and accountability.

The new task force will now be expected to examine both the structural and technological weaknesses in the examination system and recommend measures aimed at preventing future breaches.

The government’s decision to place the reform exercise under Nilekani also signals an emphasis on technology-led solutions as it seeks to restore confidence in an examination system that has faced sustained criticism in recent years.