A day after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) ended its 36-day protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday unveiled a series of measures aimed at strengthening India’s examination system. The Prime Minister announced the formation of a high-powered task force headed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to recommend comprehensive reforms for competitive examinations and prevent future paper leak incidents.
The announcement comes amid nationwide debate over examination integrity following the alleged NEET-UG paper leak controversy.
Nandan Nilekani to Head Reform Panel
In a video message, Prime Minister Modi said the government intends to build a more transparent, technology-driven and credible examination system.
“We must look to the future. Our examination system needs to be reliable and transparent, and it must make maximum use of technology. Keeping all these factors in mind, 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 focus on examination reforms, and based on its report, steps will be taken to ensure the credibility of upcoming examinations at the earliest,” Modi said.
The committee will also include former ISRO Chairman S. Somnath, former Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka, IIT Madras Director V. Kamakoti, former Education Secretary Anita Karwal, and logistics expert Amrit Lal Meena.
Government Plans Tougher Anti-Paper Leak Law
The Prime Minister said the Centre has already initiated several measures to tackle examination malpractices, including setting up fast-track courts for quicker disposal of paper leak cases.
He also announced that the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 will be introduced in Parliament to strengthen legal action against those involved in examination fraud.
According to the proposed legislation, investigations into paper leak cases must be completed within two months. The Bill proposes imprisonment ranging from five to ten years and fines of up to ₹50 lakh for individuals found guilty of paper leaks or unfair examination practices. Organised rackets could face a minimum seven-year jail term along with fines of up to ₹10 crore.
PM Continues Outreach to Students
Sunday’s address marked the Prime Minister’s third public message to students and young people in recent days.
Earlier, Modi acknowledged the anxiety caused by paper leak incidents and assured students that stricter laws would be introduced to safeguard the integrity of public examinations. In another message, he thanked citizens for their feedback and suggestions, saying public participation would help improve the country’s examination system.
The latest announcement is being seen as the government’s attempt to restore confidence in national entrance examinations by combining institutional reforms with stricter legal provisions against examination fraud.
