New Delhi, July 27: The Congress on Monday criticised the Centre’s decision to constitute a new high-powered task force on examination reforms, alleging that the move is an attempt to divert public attention from recurring irregularities in competitive examinations rather than addressing the root causes of the crisis.
Targeting the Narendra Modi led government, the opposition said the recommendations of the K. Radhakrishnan Committee, constituted in 2024 following the NEET-UG controversy, remain only partially implemented despite repeated promises to overhaul the examination system.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh accused the government of relying on new committees instead of delivering meaningful reforms. In a post on social media platform X, he shared two video clips one featuring former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announcing a high-level committee in 2024, and another showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiling a fresh task force on Sunday.
Describing the earlier announcement as “high-level promises” and the latest one as “high-powered rhetoric,” Ramesh alleged that the government’s strategy was to form committees whenever controversies arise without ensuring effective implementation of previous recommendations.
Congress Questions Delay in Earlier Reforms
According to the Congress, the K. Radhakrishnan Committee had submitted 101 recommendations aimed at improving transparency, accountability, and efficiency in examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The party claimed that many of those proposals are yet to be implemented.
Ramesh also alleged that the government failed to appoint a full-time Director General for the NTA for a significant period following the examination controversies, raising questions about administrative preparedness.
The Congress maintained that recurring issues in national-level examinations indicate deeper structural problems that cannot be resolved merely by announcing new expert panels.
PM Announces New Task Force
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the formation of a high-powered task force on Sunday to recommend comprehensive reforms for examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency.
The panel will be chaired by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani and has been tasked with suggesting ways to strengthen transparency, improve technological safeguards, and build a more secure examination framework.
The Prime Minister said the recommendations would help create a robust, technology-driven system capable of preventing paper leaks and enhancing the credibility of competitive examinations across the country.
Expert Panel Includes Senior Officials
The multidisciplinary task force comprises experts from technology, education, administration, security, and public policy.
Apart from Nilekani, the panel includes former ISRO Chairman S. Somanath, former Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka, IIT Madras Director V. Kamakoti, former Education Secretary Anita Karwal, and senior administrator Amrit Lal Meena.
The government expects the committee to recommend both technological innovations and structural reforms for the National Testing Agency, with the objective of making examination processes more transparent and tamper-proof.
Political Debate Intensifies
The announcement came shortly after the end of a prolonged agitation demanding accountability over examination irregularities, during which Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from his post.
While the government has projected the new task force as a major step toward restoring confidence in the examination system, the Congress argues that meaningful reform requires implementing pending recommendations and strengthening institutional accountability rather than creating additional committees.
With examination reforms becoming a major political issue, the functioning of the NTA and the implementation of the new panel’s recommendations are likely to remain under close public and political scrutiny in the coming months.