Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 26: A day after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) called off its agitation at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar following Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation as the union education minister over irregularities in NEET (UG) examination, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced the formation of a ‘high-powered task force’ under the leadership of Infosys founder Nandan Nilekani for reforms in the examination system conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA)..
In a video message on his X account, the prime minister also recounted the steps taken by his government to curb paper leaks and said fast-track courts have already been established, while adding that a new legislation with stringent legal provisions would be introduced in the Parliament on Monday.
The task force constituted for NTA examination reforms will also include former ISRO Chairman S. Somnath, former IB Director Tapan Deka, IIT Chennai director V. Kamakoti, former Education Secretary Anita Karwal, and logistics expert Amrit Lal Meena.
Sharing a post on Instagram, Prime Minister Modi said, “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.”
“Friends, for the future of students, the government of India is continuously taking several steps. Those who played with the future of students are rotting in jails. We have set up fast-track courts. Tomorrow in parliament too, we are moving forward in the direction of making a new law with strict legal provisions,” the prime minister said.
However, India needed examination reforms and that’s why the government has constituted the Nandan Nilekani-led high-powered task force, PM Modi pointed out. “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.
“Keeping all these factors in mind, 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.”
This was the third video that the prime minister posted over the past few days to connect with the youth and Gen Z amid row over NEET paper leak. In his first video on July 23, he had promised stricter laws on paper leak and said a bill will be brought in the Parliament on Monday.
He also said he knows how paper leak incidents are ‘extremely painful’ for lakhs of students, while recounting the steps taken over irregularities in NEET examination.
A day later, he shared a late-night video and thanked the people for the responses and positive suggestions received earlier. “Your love will continue to flow; our relations will continue with more bonding. Thank you, thank you friends,” he said.
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, will be introduced on Monday. Under this, investigations into paper leak cases are to be completed within two months. The bill also says that individuals involved in paper leaks or unfair means in exams will get jail terms for a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 10 years, and a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh. For organised crimes, the bill proposes a minimum sentence of seven years and a fine of up to Rs 10 crore.
As a co-founder of the eGov Foundation, Nilekani has been pivotal in shaping the organisation’s mission to enhance urban governance through technology. He focuses on building citizen-centric platforms that provide urban local bodies with the tools they need to deliver better services and improve the quality of life for citizens.
With over two decades of experience in leadership roles, including as the founding chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Nilekani brings a wealth of knowledge in leveraging technology for large-scale impact. Another organisation he co-founded, EkStep Foundation, aims to improve basic literacy and numeracy for millions of children through a digital platform.
Nilekani holds a Bachelor’s degree from IIT Bombay and has been honoured with several awards including the Padma Bhushan and the Joseph Schumpeter Prize.
