Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Sunday the formation of a high-powered task force on examination reforms, handing charge to Infosys co-founder and Aadhaar architect Nandan Nilekani. The announcement came a day after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned amid nationwide student protests over alleged paper leaks and exam mismanagement.
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In a video statement, Modi said the government has already taken legal action against those who compromised examination integrity, with fast-track courts already in motion, and that the task force’s report will guide steps to restore credibility to upcoming exams.
A New Face For An Old Problem, Who Else Is On The Panel
Nilekani will not be working alone. The task force brings together a mix of technology, security and education expertise, including former ISRO Chairman S. Somanath, former Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka, IIT Madras Director V. Kamakoti, former Education Secretary Anita Karwal, and Higher Education Secretary Amrit Lal Meena.
Why Nandan Nilekani Take Charge
Nilekani’s selection leans heavily on his track record building Aadhaar, the world’s largest biometric identity programme, as founding chairman of the UIDAI from 2009 to 2014. That experience in large-scale digital public infrastructure is expected to inform how the panel approaches secure authentication and data-driven safeguards for exams.
The government has not detailed a timeline for the task force’s recommendations, but officials say the goal is a system that is, in Modi’s words, reliable, transparent and technology-driven. For millions of students who took to the streets over leaked papers, the real test will be whether the panel’s proposals translate into exams they can trust.
