Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a high powered task force to fix the ongoing problem of exam paper leaks in the country. The team will be led by Infosys co founder Nandan Nilekani and will suggest reforms to make the exam system leakproof.
The announcement came just hours after nationwide protests ended with Dharmendra Pradhan stepping down as Education Minister.
“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, and based on its report, steps will be taken to ensure the credibility of upcoming examinations at the earliest,” Modi said.
Who is on the task force
This group of experts from different fields has been asked to suggest ways to improve exams conducted by the National Testing Agency, with special attention to using technology better and fixing structural problems.
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“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,” the PM said.
Former ISRO chairman S Somnath
Born in Kerala, Somnath holds a PhD from IIT Madras. He served as Chairman of ISRO and Secretary for the Department of Space from 2022 to 2025.
With nearly 40 years of experience, he is well known for his work on launch vehicle technology and space systems engineering.
Former Intelligence Bureau director Tapan Deka
This IPS officer headed the Intelligence Bureau from June 2022 to June 2026, with his term extended twice by the government.
He completed a Masters in physics from Delhi University before joining the Indian Police Service in 1988. Deka has been involved in several counter terrorism operations, including the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
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IIT Madras director V Kamakoti
Veezhinathan Kamakoti joined IIT Madras as faculty in 2001 and became its Director in January 2022. He holds MS and PhD degrees in Computer Science and Engineering from the same institute.
He sits on the National Security Advisory Board and previously chaired the Artificial Intelligence Task Force set up by the Commerce Ministry.
Former education secretary Anita Karwal
A retired IAS officer with nearly four decades in public administration, Karwal was Chairperson of CBSE till 2021 and later Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy.
She played an important role in shaping the National Education Policy and the National Curriculum Framework.
Logistics expert Amrit Lal Meena
A 1989 batch IAS officer, Meena spent about 25 years working in Bihar and more than a decade with the central government. He served as Chief Secretary of Bihar until 2025 and before that as Secretary for the Ministry of Coal until 2024.
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Exam reforms and the anti paper leak bill
Over the last week, the government has announced several steps to deal with exam irregularities as protests grew across the country.
Things came to a head with Dharmendra Pradhan resigning as Education Minister on Saturday, while the Lok Sabha is set to take up an anti paper leak bill on Monday. The steps announced over the past three days include setting up fast track courts, transferring the higher education secretary and other senior officials, and removing 47 NTA officials.
“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,” Modi said in a video message.
He repeated that the task force would focus on examination reforms and would submit a report with ways to improve tests run by the National Testing Agency.
The Prime Minister assured that his government would act on these suggestions as soon as the report came in, so that future exams remain trustworthy.
FAQs
1: Who will lead the new task force on exam reforms?
Infosys co founder Nandan Nilekani will lead the high powered task force.
2: Why was this task force formed?
It was formed to address widespread concerns over exam paper leaks and to make the exam system leakproof.
