Nilekani to Lead India’s Exam Reform Panel
Infosys co-founder and Aadhaar architect Nandan Nilekani will lead a high-powered task force created by the Union government to recommend technology-driven reforms for India’s public examination system.
Nandan Nilekani Leads Exam Reforms
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the task force on Sunday, saying India needed an examination system that was reliable, transparent and supported by the maximum use of technology.
The panel is expected to study structural weaknesses in public examinations and propose measures to improve question-paper security, candidate verification, logistics and result processing. Its recommendations will also guide reforms aimed at strengthening the National Testing Agency and preventing future paper leaks.
The government has indicated that the task force will submit its recommendations at the earliest, although a precise deadline has not been announced.
Aadhaar Architect Heads Task Force
Nilekani, born in 1955, co-founded Infosys in 1981 and later served as the founding chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India. He played a central role in developing Aadhaar, India’s nationwide biometric identity system.
An electrical engineering graduate from IIT Bombay, Nilekani has also contributed to several digital public infrastructure projects. He co-founded EkStep Foundation, which supports digital learning, and the eGov Foundation, which develops technology platforms for urban governance.
His experience designing large-scale digital systems is expected to help the panel develop secure and scalable solutions for high-stakes examinations.
Experts Join Examination Reform Panel
The six-member task force also includes former ISRO chairman S Somanath, former Intelligence Bureau director Tapan Deka, IIT Madras director V Kamakoti, former education secretary Anita Karwal and senior bureaucrat Amrit Lal Meena.
Their combined expertise covers technology, systems engineering, national security, academic administration and logistics. The panel was constituted amid public concern over examination irregularities and demands for stronger safeguards against paper leaks.
