NILEKANI-LED PANEL GETS EXTENSION UNTIL JANUARY 2027 TO FINALISE NATIONAL EXAMINATION REFORMS

November 1, 2026

The Centre has extended the tenure of a high-powered task force led by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani until January 2027, giving the panel additional time to finalise recommendations for reforming India’s examination system amid continuing concerns over question-paper leaks and examination security.

The six-member task force was constituted in July following widespread student protests over the NEET paper-leak controversy and the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Headed by Nilekani, the panel has been tasked with recommending structural and technological measures to strengthen transparency, security and credibility in examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

According to sources cited in the report, the task force has received more than 50,000 suggestions from students, parents, teachers, educational institutions, subject experts, industry organisations and examination-conducting bodies. Stakeholder consultations are continuing, and the government has submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court outlining the panel’s progress.

The committee has also consulted former ISRO chairman K. Radhakrishnan, who led an earlier committee established after the 2024 NEET paper-leak controversy. That committee submitted recommendations aimed at improving examination procedures and strengthening safeguards against malpractice.

The latest extension comes as the government considers changes to the conduct of major competitive examinations. The Centre has announced plans to introduce computer-based testing for NEET from 2027, although the wider framework for examination reforms remains under consideration.

Besides Nilekani, the task force includes former ISRO chairman S. Somanath, former Intelligence Bureau director Tapan Deka, IIT Madras director V. Kamakoti, former education secretary Anita Karwal and logistics expert Amrit Lal Meena.

The panel’s recommendations are expected to inform the government’s efforts to build a more secure and transparent examination framework, following repeated controversies that have raised questions about the reliability of high-stakes entrance tests.