PM Narendra Modi; Jairam Ramesh

NEW DELHI: Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of a high-powered task force on examination reforms, the Congress on Sunday termed it a “high-powered attempt” by the prime minister to “repair” his “irreparably tarnished image.““Friends, in June 2024, after irregularities in several exams, including NEET-UG, the Modi government formed a high-level expert committee chaired by former ISRO chairman Dr K. Radhakrishnan to ‘ensure the transparent, smooth, and fair conduct of examinations.’ In July 2026, after irregularities once again in NEET-UG and other exams, the Modi government has formed a ‘high-level task force’ to focus on exam reforms,” Congress MP Jairam Ramesh wrote on X shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement.

He added that the government was yet to fully implement the 101 recommendations made by the Radhakrishnan committee.“Instead, for nearly two years between 2024 and 2026, it did not even appoint a full-time director general for the National Testing Agency (NTA). Ultimately, all of this is nothing but a high-powered attempt to repair the Prime Minister’s irreparably tarnished image,” Ramesh said.PM Modi’s announcement came amid demands for examination reforms following the NEET (UG) question paper leak controversy, which affected over 22 lakh aspirants. On Saturday, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), an online satirical platform, ended its indefinite sit-in at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and broader education reforms.CJP ended its agitation hours after Pradhan resigned, as student protests intensified in Delhi and other parts of the country. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has been given additional charge of the Ministry of Education.Meanwhile, besides Nilekani, who co-founded IT giant Infosys, other members of the high-powered task force include former Isro chairman S Somanath, ex-Intelligence Bureau director Tapan Deka, IIT Madras director V Kamakoti, former education secretary Anita Karwal, and logistics expert Amrit Lal Meena.According to the prime minister, the government will implement the task force’s recommendations to establish a “foolproof examination system.”The panel will help revamp NTA examinations, with a focus on technology-driven improvements and structural reforms in the system, PM Modi added.