NEET UG: Centre extends Nilekani-led panel's tenure on exam reforms till January 2027

New Delhi: The Centre has extended the tenure of the Nandan Nilekani-led task force working on exam reforms till January 2027, sources said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the constitution of the high-powered six-member committee a day after Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation as the Union education minister following massive student protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on July 25. 

The task force set up in July received over 50,000 suggestions from students, parents, teachers, academic institutions, subject matter experts, industry organisations and exam-conducting bodies. "The stakeholder consultations have been going on. The government has also submitted an affidavit in the Supreme Court listing the progress made by the panel so far. 

Radhakrishnan panel consulted on exam reforms

The panel has now been granted time till January 2027 to submit its report," the source said. The panel's tenure was till October 2027. The panel has also consulted former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan, who headed a panel set up by the Centre following the 2024 NEET paper leak. The Radhakrishnan Committee, which was set up in June 2024, submitted its recommendations in October that year. 

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The Centre then set up another panel called the High Powered Steering Committee (HPSC), also headed by Radhakrishnan, to monitor implementation of the recommendations. The Ministry of Education was in the process of implementing those suggestions when another paper leak for the medical entrance NEET this year blew up into a huge controversy, leading to widespread protests and ultimately, Pradhan's resignation. 

Centre shifts NEET to CBT mode from 2027

A day after Pradhan's resignation, Modi announced the constitution of a high-powered task force headed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to recommend reforms to make the exam system leakproof. Besides Nilekani, other members of the task force are former chairman of ISRO S Somanath, former director of the Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, IIT Chennai Director V Kamakoti, former education secretary Anita Karwal and logistics expert Amrit Lal Meena. 

Following the paper leak, the Centre announced that NEET will be conducted as a Computer Based Test (CBT) from next year. The Radhakrishnan Committee had also advised that the medical entrance exam should be conducted in phases and a computer-based or hybrid mode should be brought in instead of relying entirely on a pen-and-paper exam.