India PM Modi announces panel to overhaul exam system after protests

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched on Sunday the formation of a task force chaired by technology tycoon Nandan Nilekani, who will reform India's examination system, after days of demonstrations by the youth in India over examination paper leakages.

"Our examination system should be credible, should be transparent, and the system should make the maximum use of technology," Modi stated on Instagram, saying that new legislation regarding examination paper leaks would be tabled in parliament on Monday.

New legislation will stiffen the law and increase the punishment for those involved, the Prime Minister said further.

This was the first comment from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in response to the resignation of his education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday amid the demonstration by the youth activists in India for weeks over examination paper leakages 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.