Creating question papers at the last-minute can curb incentive to leak, says Nadan Nilekani | Hindustan Times

Generating examination papers at the last minute from a “massive question bank” will eliminate the “economic incentive” behind paper leaks, Infosys chairman and head of the high-powered task force (HPTF) on examination reforms Nandan Nilekani said on Tuesday. He also suggested expanding the computer-based testing (CBT) infrastructure across the country.“The moment you have a question paper then that creates an economic incentive for that to be sold. So the way to do that is to really have a massive bank of questions and only at the last minute generate the question paper for that day and therefore then the question of having a question paper goes away and there is no economic incentive for that,” he said while addressing the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi.Also Read I Government, NTA officials may not be named in CBI charge sheet over NEET-UG paper leakTo be sure, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in its first charge sheet filed in a Delhi court in May in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case, said question papers for the May 3 examination were sold and purchased by the accused for amounts ranging from ₹25,000 to ₹25 lakh.Six-member task forceNilekani added that expanding the network of testing locations was another priority. “We have 150,000 locations (of CBT centres) where a young boy or girl can take a test that needs to be expanded. So I think these are all systemic issues, which we will address in our committee,” he said.When asked if he could envision a future where AI spontaneously creates examination papers on the actual day of the test, Nilekani responded with affirmation. He further said that using technology and looking at the root causes of exam leaks and irregularities systematically could solve the problem. “They are solvable issues.”The government-appointed six-member HPTF, constituted on July 27 with a three-month mandate, was set up after the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 on May 12 by National Testing Agency (NTA). At least 120 questions in a guess paper — a compilation of suggested questions based on previous trends and patterns — were found to match the May 3 examination paper, triggering widespread protests and eventually the resignation of then education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on July 25. An October 5 affidavit filed by the Department of Personnel and Training in the Supreme Court said the panel had held about 18 meetings and more than 40 consultations including one with Union health ministry on whose behalf NTA conducts the test for admission to UG medical courses, and remained “on track” to submit its report within the prescribed timeframe.The debate over shifting NEET-UG from pen-and-paper testing (PPT) to CBT has, however, exposed significant infrastructure and policy hurdles.Also Read I 'Why do we need a question paper': Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani on ways to combat exam leaks in IndiaMore than 2.2 million candidates registered for the 2026 examination currently held in pen and paper mode, requiring question papers to be printed, packed, transported under security, stored in vaults and distributed to examination centres. The lengthy supply chain, involving printers, transporters, storage facilities, centre coordinators and invigilators, creates multiple potential vulnerabilities for paper leak.In CBT, encrypted questions are electronically distributed to examination infrastructure under strict access controls, reducing dependence on physical transportation. The format is already used for JEE-Main, CUET and UGC-NET.The government-appointed committee after the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak, headed by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan had made a strong case for shifting NEET-UG to CBT in its October 2024 report, describing it as the “sure way forward” against paper leaks. But the transition remains stalled by concerns over infrastructure and multi-session examinations. NTA director general Abhishek Singh told HT earlier that the agency would conduct NEET in CBT mode if the health ministry gave written instructions, adding that around 20 shifts would be required to accommodate approximately 2.2 million candidates.On August 4, the Centre told the Supreme Court that a final decision on conducting NEET-UG in CBT mode from 2027 had not been taken, with the shift remaining “presently under active consideration” and dependent on stakeholder consultations and the HPTF’s recommendations.Also Read | Annual audits, coaching scrutiny, compensation for cancellations: What parliamentary panel suggested on NTA reformsMeanwhile, a parliamentary committee on education, women, children, youth and sports, in a report submitted to the Rajya Sabha on October 9, recommended moving NEET to CBT, accompanied by a national strategy to ensure digital accessibility. It called for implementing the Radhakrishnan panel’s recommendation for 1,000 secure government-owned CBT centres, at least one testing centre in every district, and NTA-funded computer laboratories in schools and colleges. It also recommended mock tests to familiarise students with digital examinations and a hybrid model, in which encrypted questions could be delivered electronically and printed at centres where CBT infrastructure was inadequate.The panel further called for all examination centres to be owned and operated by the Union or state governments, citing private centres hired through subcontractors as a potential weak link in examination security. It said a transparent, robust and independently audited normalisation methodology must be developed and explained publicly before NEET transitions to CBT.Normalisation refers to adjusting scores to offset difficulty differences across shifts based on relative performance within each session.