Modi Forms Task Force to End India Exam Paper Leaks

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the formation of a high-powered task force on Sunday to overhaul India's competitive examination system and eliminate paper leaks. Led by Infosys co-founder and former UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani, the panel includes experts from ISRO, the Intelligence Bureau, and IIT Madras. The task force will recommend structural and technological reforms to the National Testing Agency (NTA) to ensure a transparent and reliable testing process.

This initiative follows weeks of nationwide youth protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party, including a 36-day sit-in at Jantar Mantar, over irregularities in the 2026 NEET-UG exams. The unrest led to the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on July 25, 2026. Pralhad Joshi has since assumed charge as the Union Minister for Education.

To support these reforms, the government is tabling the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, to increase fines and prison sentences for fraud. Home Minister Amit Shah vowed that the government would impose exemplary punishment on those responsible for breaches.

The Indian National Congress dismissed the task force as a political maneuver. MP Jairam Ramesh characterized the move as an attempt to repair the Prime Minister's image, claiming the government failed to implement 101 recommendations from a previous 2024 expert committee and left the NTA without a full-time Director General for much of the last two years.