Meet Nandan Nilekani: Task Force Chief to Reform India’s Exam System
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday July 26, 2026 announced the formation of a High-Powered Task Force headed by Nandan Nilekani to reform India's Examination System.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday July 26, 2026 announced the formation of a High-Powered Task Force headed by Nandan Nilekani to reform India's Examination System.
"High powered task force on examination reforms under the leadership of Shri Nandan Nilekani constituted", Modi announced writing on his official X handle.
Modi made the similar announcement in video messages posted on X, Instagram and other social media platforms. He, however, did not provide more details about the other members of the task force and its scope.
Modi announced the formation of the task force amidst massive students’ protests over paper leaks and rigged examination, and repeated demand by Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi who said India’s examination system needs an overhaul.
Who is Nandan Nilekani?
Nandan Nilekani is Co-Founder of Infosys – one of the largest IT firms in India.
Nilekani was born in Bangalore to a middle-class family. He completed his schooling at Bishop Cotton Boys’ School and St. Joseph’s High School. In 1978, he completed his graduation in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay.
Nilekani co-founded Infosys with N.R. Narayana Murthy and five others in 1981 - barely two years after graduation.
Nandan Nilekani is the author of “Rebooting India”. The book identifies a dozen initiatives where a series of citizen-friendly and high-tech public institutions can deliver low-cost solutions to India’s grand challenges.
A Padma Bhushan awardee (2006), Nandan Nilekani was the Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) formed by the erstwhile UPA Government which issues the 12-digit Aadhaar number/card - India's ambitious biometric digital identity program.
Nilekani has also been involved in digital public goods - often called the “India Stack”, including UPI. He also co-founded EkStep, a not-for-profit platform for improving literacy and numeracy, and supports initiatives in urbanization, water, and AI, according to Infosys.
Interestingly, Modi had before becoming Prime Minister criticised UIDAI and Aadhaar, slamming the project as a "Political Gimmick".
“Nandan Nilekani’s Aadhaar project is a political gimmick with no vision”, Modi had said on April 09, 2014 – the file report of which is now viral after he announced the formation of the “High-Powered Task Force” to reform Indian’s Examination System with Nilekani as its chief.
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