Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the formation of a high-powered task force for examination reforms and appointed tech expert Nandan Nilekani as its head.
Modi took to social media to confirm the development. "The Government of India has continuously taken several major steps for the welfare of students. Those who played with the future of students are now rotting in jails. We have already set up fast-track courts. Tomorrow, in Parliament, we will also move forward with a new law containing stringent provisions," Modi said.
"However, we also need to think about the future. Our examination system should be trustworthy, transparent, and make the maximum use of technology. Keeping all these aspects in mind, we have decided to constitute a high-powered task force under the leadership of globally renowned technology expert Nandan Nilekani to focus on examination reforms.
"Based on the recommendations of this task force, we will ensure the credibility and reliability of upcoming examinations as quickly as possible," Modi added.
Who is Nandan Nilekani?
Nandan Nilekani is a tech expert and a co-founder of the tech giant Infosys. He is currently serving as the non-executive chairman of the tech platform. Nilekani co-founded Infosys along with N. R. Narayana Murthy, Kris Gopalakrishnan, S. D. Shibulal, K. Dinesh, N. S. Raghavan and Ashok Arora in 1981.
Nilekani served as the CEO of the tech giant from March 2002 to April 2007 before relinquishing his post for Gopalakrishnan. However, he returned to Infosys in 2017 and became the non-executive chairman in August 2017. Before taking over as the CEO in 2002, he served in different positions like the managing director, president, and chief operating officer.
Nilekani left Infosys in 2009 and became the first chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India after an invitation from the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. Notably, the Infosys co-founder has also contested in the 2014 General elections. He fought on the Congress ticket from the Bangalore South constituency but lost out to Bharatiya Janata Party's Ananth Kumar.
Other members appointed in the task force
The high-powered task force has been constituted to help revamp the National Testing Agency examinations, especially from a technology perspective and for structural reforms in the system. Apart from Nandan Nilekani, former ISRO Chairman S Somnath, ex-IB Director Tapan Deka, IIT Chennai Director V Kamakoti, former Education Secretary Anita Karwal and logistics expert Amrit Lal Meena have also been appointed in the task force.
The government's move came after the recent NEET paper leak, which led to major protests across the nation, with Delhi's Jantar Mantar as the leading place. The Cockroach Janata Party demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who put pen to paper on Saturday.
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