Who Is Nandan Nilekani? Meet the Infosys Co-Founder Heading India's New Exam Reform Task Force
PM Narendra Modi announced a high-powered task force led by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to overhaul India's exam system. The panel will implement advanced technology to make public testing leak-proof, transparent, and reliable. Nilekani is widely recognised as one of India's most prominent technology leaders, entrepreneurs, and public policy architects.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the formation of a high-powered task force on Sunday, July 26, to overhaul India's public examination system, naming technology entrepreneur and Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to lead the initiative. The announcement follows recent controversies and nationwide scrutiny surrounding competitive entrance tests, such as NEET-UG and UGC-NET. The newly formed panel will focus on leveraging advanced technology to make the country's extensive examination framework leak-proof, highly reliable, and transparent.
Focus on Technology and Institutional Reform
In a video statement released on social media, Prime Minister Modi emphasised that the primary mandate of the Nilekani-led task force is to restore absolute credibility to national testing mechanisms. "Our examination system should be reliable, our examination system should be transparent, and our examination system should now have the maximum use of technology," Modi stated, noting that the committee's findings and recommendations will form the foundation for upcoming structural safeguards. PM Narendra Modi Constitutes High-Powered Task Force Under Nandan Nilekani to Overhaul India's Exam System.
PM Narendra Modi Announces Task Force On Exam Reforms
HIGH POWERED TASK FORCE on examination reforms under the leadership of Shri Nandan Nilekani constituted.@NandanNilekani pic.twitter.com/mMpmPdIEL5
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 26, 2026
The task force will evaluate vulnerabilities within existing testing logistics and propose digital frameworks to secure distribution channels, prevent leaks, and streamline administration for millions of student applicants each year.
Who Is Nandan Nilekani?
Nandan Nilekani is widely recognised as one of India's most prominent technology leaders, entrepreneurs, and public policy architects. Born on June 2, 1955, in Bengaluru, Nilekani co-founded global software major Infosys in 1981 alongside N.R. Narayana Murthy and five others, serving as its CEO from 2002 to 2007. Beyond his contributions to the private IT sector, Nilekani transitioned to public service when he was appointed by the Government of India in 2009 as the founding chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
In this capacity, he spearheaded the conceptualisation and rollout of Aadhaar, the world's largest digital identity program, providing biometric and demographic identification to over a billion citizens. He has also been a key driving force behind other national digital infrastructure projects, including the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and various digital public goods frameworks. Given his extensive track record in scaling massive, secure digital platforms for governance, the administration has entrusted him with designing institutional technology solutions to fix vulnerabilities in the national examination infrastructure. PM Narendra Modi Promises More Strict Actions Against Paper Leaks in Video Message.
Broader Government Measures
The announcement of the task force coincides with broader administrative and legislative steps taken by the central government to address examination malpractices. Modi noted that legal proceedings, fast-track courts, and detentions have already been deployed against individuals accused of tampering with exam papers. Furthermore, the government is moving forward in Parliament to enact stringent legislative measures carrying heavy penalties for fraud and malpractice within public examinations. The Nilekani-led panel is expected to submit its strategic recommendations to the government shortly, setting the stage for technology-driven reforms in future public examinations.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 26, 2026 07:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
