Modi announces Nandan Nilekani-led panel to overhaul India’s exam system

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced the formation of a task force headed by tech entrepreneur Nandan Nilekani to overhaul India’s examination system following days of youth protests over exam paper leaks.

“Our examination system should be trustworthy, should be transparent and the system should make maximum use of technology,” Modi said on Instagram, adding that new legislation to deal with paper leaks would be introduced in parliament on Monday.

The proposed measures would tighten the law and impose tougher penalties on those responsible for paper leaks, Modi added.

It was Modi’s first public comment since Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on Saturday following weeks of protests by youth activists, who had demanded his resignation over exam paper leaks in May.

Modi did not mention Pradhan in his 30-second video statement.

The youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement, which spearheaded the demonstrations, called off its protests on Saturday after its demands were met.

The government also accepted the protesters’ demands for reforms to the examination system, dropping police cases filed against protesters and compensating the families of students who died by suicide after the exam paper leaks.

Nilekani is an entrepreneur best known for leading the creation of India’s digital identity system Aadhaar and co-founding software major Infosys.