PM Narendra Modi has handed Nandan Nilekani a new responsibility, leading a high-powered task force to make public examinations more transparent and leak-proof with the help of technology. The Infosys co-founder, who has contributed significantly to India’s digital ecosystem, now takes on another important assignment.
Published: July 26, 2026, 10:14 PM IST
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Nandan Nilekani is set to take charge of the task force created announced by PM Modi for exams. File image/PTI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the formation of a high-powered task force on Sunday that she stated will be headed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Mohanrao Nilekani. The task force will use technology in making India’s public examination system leak-proof and more transparent.
The exam-reform task force will bring together experts from technology, education, and security sectors. Its members include former ISRO Chairman S Somanath, IB Director Tapan Deka, IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti, Anita Karwal, and Higher Education Secretary Amrit Lal Meena.
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Let us take a closer look at Nandan Nilekani.
Who is Nandan Nilekani?
Nandan Mohanrao Nilekani, born on June 2, 1955, in Bengaluru, has emerged as one of India’s leading figures in technology and public policy. After graduating in electrical engineering from IIT Bombay, he began his career with Patni Computer Systems in Mumbai in 1978. It was in his first job that he met NR Narayana Murthy.
Nandan Nilekani co-founded Infosys in 1981 along with NR Narayana Murthy and five others, helping build what would become one of India’s leading technology companies. He held various key positions at the firm before becoming CEO in 2002. Under his leadership, Infosys’ revenue increased six times over five years, reaching close to $3 billion. He returned to the company in 2017 after the departure of former CEO Vishal Sikka.
Birth of Aadhaar
Although Nilekani’s corporate legacy is closely linked with Infosys, his impact on government technology initiatives came through his role at UIDAI in 2009. Appointed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the organisation’s chairman, he led the launch and expansion of Aadhaar, which has since become central to India’s digital governance framework, helping deliver welfare benefits, promote financial inclusion, and verify identities for over a billion residents.
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While Aadhaar has sparked discussions around privacy and data security, it has also earned international recognition as one of the world’s largest and most ambitious digital identity projects. Two years after the government’s demonetisation move, Nilekani was brought into a committee by Prime Minister Modi to help chart the future of digital payments and promote a cashless economy in India.
Work beyond Aadhaar
Beyond his work with Aadhaar and digital payments, Nilekani has remained involved in several policy initiatives. He served on the RBI’s High-Level Committee on Deepening of Digital Payments from 2019 and was later appointed to the ONDC council in 2021, which was set up to promote a more open digital commerce network in India.
Nandan Nilekani also had a brief stint in electoral politics in 2014, when he contested the Bengaluru South Lok Sabha seat as a Congress candidate. He lost to BJP leader Ananth Kumar and has since concentrated on technology, public initiatives, and philanthropic efforts.
