Key facts
- India's government introduced a bill to amend the Public Examinations Act.
- The proposed amendments aim to increase penalties for public exam cheating.
- The NEET undergraduate medical school entrance exam was cancelled due to leaks.
- Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned following widespread protests.
- A task force led by Nandan Nilekani will focus on examination reforms.
India's federal government has introduced a bill in parliament to amend the Public Examinations Act, aiming to introduce stricter penalties for cheating and irregularities in public exams. This move follows widespread youth protests and the cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate medical school admissions due to alleged paper leaks. The cancellations affected approximately 2 million candidates and contributed to the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The proposed amendments seek to significantly increase penalties, including raising the minimum prison term for culprits from three to five years and increasing the maximum fine five-fold from 10 million rupees ($104,000) to 50 million rupees ($522,000). The bill also proposes doubling the ban period for firms found guilty of involvement in exam irregularities to eight years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also announced the formation of a high-powered task force, led by technology expert Nandan Nilekani, to focus on overhauling the country's examination system and leveraging technology for reforms. These actions come after a previous expert panel made 101 recommendations in 2024, many of which are still in the implementation phase.