4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 27, 2026 10:30 AM IST
The BJP-led NDA government has formed a high-powered task force to look into next-generation reforms for the country’s education sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Instagram Sunday.
Nandan Nilekani
The co-founder and chairman of Infosys Technologies Limited, Nilekani was the founding chairman of the UIDAI in the rank of a Cabinet Minister from 2009-2014. In January 2023, he was appointed the co-chair of the “G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure for Economic Transformation, Financial Inclusion, and Development”.
Nilekani was also the chairman of the Technology Advisory Group for Unique Projects (TAGUP), established by the government in 2010, that influenced the IT system for large-scale public projects, including GST. Born in Bengaluru, Nilekani received his Bachelor’s degree from IIT, Bombay.
Amrit Lal Meena
Amrit Lal Meena
A retired Bihar-cadre IAS officer (1989 batch), Meena served as Chief Secretary of Bihar from August 2024 to August 2025. He was earlier the Secretary in the Coal Ministry, and before that he held the charge of Special Secretary (Logistics), DPIIT. In the six-member high-powered task force on examination reforms, he has been appointed as the Logistics Expert. He holds a BTech in electrical engineering.
Anita Karwal
Anita Karwal
She was India’s Education Secretary between 2020 and her retirement in 2022. Before that, Karwal was the chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). After her retirement, she was appointed as the chairperson of Gujarat Real Estate Regulatory Authority.
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Karwal was closely involved with the development of the government’s National Education Policy 2020. She is a retired Gujarat cadre IAS officer (1988-batch).
S Somanath
S Somanath
He served as ISRO chairperson between 2022 and 2025. It was under his leadership that India achieved the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon’s South Pole. He was also at the helm of the space agency when the small satellite launch vehicle was operationalised, and its heaviest launch vehicle LVM3 was adapted for launching in different types of orbit.
Earlier, as a specialist in propulsion science, Somanath worked on the development of the LVM3 vehicle that carried both Chandrayaan-2 and 3. He joined the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in 1985.
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Dr V Kamakoti
Dr V Kamakoti
He is the director of IIT Madras, a role he assumed in 2022. Kamakoti specialises in computer architecture, security and artificial intelligence. He is known for leading the research team that developed India’s first indigenous microprocessor ‘Shakti’, which can be used in mobile computing devices and networking systems. He was the chairman of the Artificial Intelligence Task Force constituted by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Kamakoti did his PhD from IIT Madras in 1995 and then joined the institute as an assistant professor in 2001.
Tapan Deka
Tapan Deka
A 1988-batch IPS officer of the Himachal cadre, he served as the IB chief for four years. Deka is credited with strengthening intelligence coordination through the modernisation of the Multi Agency Centre, enhancing intelligence-sharing between central and state agencies, and playing a key role in generating actionable intelligence for counter-terrorism and anti-Maoist operations. Earlier, he spent over a decade in the IB’s Operations branch, overseeing counter-terrorism efforts against the Indian Mujahideen and the Islamic State.
