Prime Minister Narendra Modi has constituted a high-powered task force to reform India’s examination system, led by Nandan Nilekani [1].

The move comes as the government seeks to restore public trust in national testing. Frequent reports of paper leaks and irregularities have sparked widespread student protests and legal challenges, making the reliability of these exams a critical political and social issue.

According to official reports, the task force is designed to strengthen the existing system and curb the occurrence of paper-leak incidents [1]. The initiative aims to make the examination process more reliable, transparent, and technology-driven [1], [2]. This shift follows significant controversy surrounding the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), which highlighted vulnerabilities in the current administration of high-stakes exams [2].

Nandan Nilekani, known for his role in developing India's digital identity infrastructure, will lead the group in New Delhi [1]. The government intends for the task force to identify systemic gaps that allow for leaks and to implement digital safeguards that prevent tampering [2].

The announcement was made on July 26, 2026 [1]. The administration said the reforms are necessary to address the concerns of millions of students who rely on these exams for professional advancement [1]. By integrating more robust technology, the government hopes to eliminate the human errors and corruption that have historically plagued the testing cycle [2].

The task force will examine the entire lifecycle of an examination, from question paper setting to the final result declaration. The goal is to create a seamless, secure framework that reduces the window of opportunity for leaks to occur [1].

“The task force is designed to strengthen the existing system and curb the occurrence of paper-leak incidents.”

The appointment of Nandan Nilekani suggests the Indian government is treating exam leaks as a data-security and infrastructure problem rather than a simple administrative failure. By leveraging Nilekani's experience with large-scale digital systems, the government is signaling a shift toward a centralized, tech-heavy authentication and delivery model to remove the 'human element' where leaks typically occur.