NEET row: PM Modi announces high-powered exam reforms task force led by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani

In a video statement, Modi said the Centre was taking multiple steps to safeguard the future of students.

"The Indian government is taking multiple steps by keeping in mind the future of students," he said.

In the little over one-minute-long address, the Prime Minister said those responsible for compromising the integrity of examinations were being dealt with sternly.

"Those who played with the future of students are currently rotting in jails. We have set up fast-track courts. Tomorrow in Parliament too, we are moving forward in the direction of making a new law with strict legal provisions," Modi said.

Emphasising the need for systemic reforms, he added: "It is time to think about the future. Our examination system should be reliable, our examination system should be transparent, and our examination system should now have the maximum use of technology."

Modi said the recommendations of the high-powered task force would form the basis for ensuring the credibility and reliability of future examinations across the country.

The announcement came a day after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned following more than a month of nationwide protests over the NEET paper leak controversy. The demonstrations, initially led by the satirical political outfit Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar, later spread to several cities across the country with support from opposition parties.

Earlier, the Centre replaced the Education Secretary, removed 47 officials from the National Testing Agency (NTA), and promised a comprehensive overhaul of the country's examination system in the wake of the controversy.