Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced the constitution of a high-powered task force on examination reforms under the leadership of technology entrepreneur and infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, saying it would recommend measures to make the country's examination system more reliable and transparent.
The announcement came a day after the reshuffle in the education ministry, with Union Minister Pralhad Joshi taking charge following Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, as the government seeks to restore confidence in the examination system following a major backlash and student-led protests over the NEET paper leak row.
Announcing the new panel on social media, Modi said it would recommend reforms aimed at restoring confidence in public examinations.
"We have decided to constitute a high-powered task force under the leadership of the world-renowned technology expert Nandan Nilekani. This task force will focus on examination reforms, and based on its report, steps will be taken to ensure the credibility of upcoming examinations at the earliest," he said.
Modi said the government had already taken steps against those accused of compromising the integrity of public examinations.
"The Government of India is continuously taking various measures for the future of students. Those who tampered with the students' future are languishing in jail. We have already established fast-track courts. We are also moving towards enacting new legislation in Parliament that incorporates stringent legal provisions," he said.
The prime minister said the focus must now shift to strengthening the examination system for the future. "However, we must look to the future. Our examination system needs to be reliable and transparent, and it must make maximum use of technology," he said.
Modi's announcement comes as the Centre is set to introduce a draft Bill in Parliament on Monday prescribing harsher punishments for examination paper leaks, after the prime minister said in a midnight video message on Friday that the government would move to tighten the law.
As part of the reforms, the Centre will table the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha on Monday, proposing stricter punishments, time-bound investigations and trials, and the creation of a Special Task Force (STF) to investigate serious offences related to public examinations.