Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the formation of a high-powered task force on examination reforms led by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani on July 26, 2026 [1].

The move comes as the Indian government seeks to restore public trust in the national testing infrastructure following a series of high-profile paper-leak controversies, including those involving the NEET examinations [4]. By appointing a technology leader like Nilekani, the administration is signaling a shift toward digital safeguards to prevent fraud.

The task force is charged with reviewing the entire examination ecosystem to recommend reforms that increase transparency, reliability, and technology-driven processes [2]. The group will submit a formal report to the government, which will then determine the appropriate course of action [3].

Modi addressed the recent scandals by noting that those responsible for the leaks are currently imprisoned. He said, "Those who were behind the exam leaks are now in jail, and we will act on the basis of the Nilekani-led task force's report to future-proof our examinations" [1].

Nilekani, known for his role in developing India's Aadhaar biometric ID system, will oversee the evaluation of how exams are conducted and secured. He said the task force will examine the ecosystem to make it more transparent and reliable [2].

The initiative aims to move beyond temporary fixes to create a permanent, tech-heavy framework that can withstand leak attempts. The government intends for the resulting reforms to ensure that the meritocratic nature of these exams is preserved against systemic corruption [4].

“Those who were behind the exam leaks are now in jail”

The appointment of Nandan Nilekani suggests that the Indian government views the examination crisis not merely as a policing failure, but as a systemic architectural flaw. By leveraging Nilekani's experience with large-scale digital identity and data infrastructure, the government is likely moving toward a centralized, digitized examination process designed to eliminate human interference and manual handling of sensitive papers.