On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the formation of a task force led by tech entrepreneur Nandan Nilekani to reform India’s examination system, after several days of youth protests over exam paper leaks.
"Our examination system should be trustworthy, should be transparent and the system should make maximum use of technology," Modi stated on Instagram that new legislation addressing exam paper leaks would be presented in parliament on Monday.
Nandan Nilekani – co-founder and chairman of Infosys Technologies Ltd, and founding chairman of UIDAI;
Anita Karwal – retired IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre (1988 batch), former Education Secretary, and former Chairperson of CBSE;
Dr. V. Kamakoti – Director of IIT Madras;
Amrit Lal Meena – retired IAS officer of the Bihar cadre (1989 batch), appointed as a logistics expert;
S. Somanath – former ISRO Chairperson (2022–2025), under whose leadership Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed near the Moon’s south pole;
Tapan Deka – retired IPS officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre (1988 batch) and former IB chief.
The measures would strengthen the law and impose harsher penalties on offenders, Modi stated.
This marked Modi's first public statement since Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stepped down on Saturday, after weeks of demonstrations by youth activists demanding his resignation over exam paper leaks in May.
In his 30-second video message, Modi made no reference to Pradhan.
The youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement, which spearheaded the demonstrations, called off its protests on Saturday after its demands were met.
The government also accepted the protesters' demands for reforms in the exam system, dropping police cases filed against protesters and compensating families of students who died by suicide after the exam paper leaks.
Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House until 12 pm within the first five minutes of the Question Hour, which began at 11 am, following opposition demands for a discussion on alleged police brutality against students on July 20.
After convening at 12 pm, the opposition ignored the government’s request to take up the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, prompting the Lok Sabha Speaker to adjourn the House until 2 pm.
