Narendra Modi names Nandan Nilekani to lead India exam reform task force after minister resigns

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on July 26 that Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani would lead a special task force to reform India’s examination system, one day after the education minister resigned amid weeks of student protests. Modi said in a video posted on X that the high-powered task force would focus on making the examination system more reliable and transparent while increasing the use of technology.

He also said the government would work to restore confidence in upcoming examinations as quickly as possible. The announcement followed protests over examination irregularities and other concerns affecting young Indians. Thousands of demonstrators, mainly students, had gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi during protests associated with the social media-linked Cockroach Janta Party.

The education minister resigned on July 25 as the government accepted several protest demands. Municipal workers were cleaning the road leading to the protest site the following day after activists had camped there for weeks.