India PM Modi announces panel to overhaul exam system after protests

Published 26 Jul, 2026 10:40pm 1 min read
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. -- Reuters
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. -- Reuters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Sunday the creation of a task force headed ​by tech entrepreneur Nandan Nilekani to overhaul ‌India’s examination system, following days of youth protests about 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 measures would tighten the ​law and toughen the penalties for culprits, Modi added.

It was Modi’s first public comment since Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on ​Saturday following the protests by youth activists, who ​demonstrated for weeks demanding he quit 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 in the exam system, dropping police ​cases filed against protesters and compensating 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.

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