New Delhi: The Nandan Nilekani-led high-powered task force on exam reforms has consulted former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan, who headed the panel set up by the Centre after the 2024 NEET paper leak, officials said.

The task force, set up in July to recommend comprehensive reforms in examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), is consulting various stakeholders and has also invited suggestions from students, parents, teachers, academic institutions, subject experts, industry bodies and exam-conducting agencies.

The Radhakrishnan Committee, constituted in June 2024, submitted its recommendations in October that year. The Centre subsequently set up a High Powered Steering Committee (HPSC), also headed by Radhakrishnan, to monitor implementation of the recommendations.

"The High-Powered Task Force (HPTF) was set up under the chairmanship of Nandan Nilekani, former chairman, UIDAI, to study and recommend comprehensive reforms in the examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA)," a senior official told PTI.

"The HPTF is reviewing the exam processes and will recommend reforms to make the examination system robust, secure, transparent, trustworthy and future-ready," the official said.

The seven-member Radhakrishnan Committee had recommended restructuring the NTA and made 101 recommendations covering security of examination-critical systems, including question papers, candidate registration, fee payment, admit cards, computer-based testing, OMR processing, normalisation and results.

It also recommended that the NTA focus strictly on higher education entrance examinations and overhaul its governance, security and digital infrastructure.

"The recommendations made by the previous panel are being studied by the new task force. The Supreme Court had also asked the Centre to submit a report on the status of implementation of the recommendations," the official said.

Besides Nilekani, the new task force includes former ISRO chairman S Somanath, former Intelligence Bureau director Tapan Deka, IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti, former education secretary Anita Karwal and logistics expert Amrit Lal Meena.

The Centre has announced that NEET will be conducted in computer-based test mode from next year. The Radhakrishnan Committee had also recommended a computer or hybrid mode for the medical entrance examination.