Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced the formation of a high-powered task force headed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to examine ways to strengthen India's examination system.

The panel will study existing challenges and submit recommendations to the government, particularly on the use of technology and broader structural reforms. The government will then work towards improving the reliability of future examinations based on the task force's findings, Modi said in a video message shared on X.

Emphasising the need to protect students and restore confidence in the examination process, the Prime Minister said the government was taking several measures to address issues linked to exam irregularities and paper leaks. He also pointed to fast-track courts dealing with cases involving those accused of jeopardising students' futures and said efforts were underway to introduce stricter legal provisions.

The announcement came a day after protests over alleged examination paper leaks, spearheaded by the satirical political group Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), were called off following the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Modi said the focus must now extend beyond addressing immediate concerns to preparing the examination system for the future. He stressed that examinations should be dependable and transparent, with technology playing a much greater role in the process.

The task force will bring together specialists from several fields. Besides Nilekani, the panel includes former ISRO chairman S Somanath, former Intelligence Bureau director Tapan Deka, IIT Madras director V Kamakoti, former education secretary Anita Kawal and logistics expert Amrit Lal Meena.

Nilekani's experience in building large-scale technology platforms is expected to be central to the panel's work. He co-founded the eGov Foundation, which works towards using digital technology to improve urban governance and enable local bodies to deliver public services more effectively.

He previously served as the founding chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), where he played a key role in developing one of the world's largest digital identity initiatives. His work has spanned technology, public infrastructure and digital platforms designed to operate at a massive scale.

Nilekani is also a co-founder of the EkStep Foundation, an organisation working to improve foundational literacy and numeracy among children through digital technology.

An alumnus of IIT Bombay, Nilekani has received several honours during his career, including the Padma Bhushan and the Joseph Schumpeter Prize. His appointment to head the examination reform task force brings extensive experience in technology-led initiatives and large-scale public systems to the government's efforts to overhaul the examination process.