Nandan Nilekani, Infosys co-founder and Aadhaar architect, to lead PM’s high-powered task force
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Nandan Nilekani’s experience in building digital infrastructure is a key reason for his appointment. Photograph: (X)
Nandan Nilekani’s most significant contribution came in 2009 when then-PM Manmohan Singh invited him to head the Unique Identification Authority of India. As UIDAI chief, Nilekani led the creation and implementation of Aadhaar, the world’s largest biometric identity programme.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has named Infosys co-founder Nandan Mohanrao Nilekani to lead the high-powered task force that will carve out the blueprint for using technology to make public examinations leak-proof, more transparent, and reliable. Nilekani is already credited with playing a pivotal role in building India’s digital public infrastructure.
He will head the high-powered task force that also includes former ISRO Chairman S Somanath, Intelligence Bureau Director Tapan Deka, IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti, former School Education Secretary Anita Karwal, and Higher Education Secretary Amrit Lal Meena.
Who is Nandan Nilekani?
Nandan Mohanrao Nilekani, born on June 2, 1955 in Bengaluru, is among India’s most influential technology leaders. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay before joining Patni Computer Systems in Mumbai in 1978.
In 1981, Nilekani and NR Narayana Murthy established Infosys with five other colleagues. As Infosys became one of India’s largest IT services firms, Nilekani served in multiple leadership roles before becoming the company’s Chief Executive Officer in 2002. During his tenure, Infosys’ revenues grew six-fold to nearly $3 billion.
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Nilekani had to return to Infosys as its non-executive chairman after the departure of former CEO Vishal Sikka in 2017 to steer the company through a critical leadership transition.
The architect of Aadhaar, India’s digital public infra
Nilekani’s most significant contribution came in 2009 when then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh invited him to head the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) with cabinet rank.
As UIDAI chairman, Nilekani led the creation and implementation of Aadhaar, the world’s largest biometric identity programme. Aadhaar gradually became the backbone of India’s digital governance ecosystem, enabling direct benefit transfers, financial inclusion, and identity verification for over a billion residents.
The programme is cited globally as one of the most ambitious digital identity initiatives undertaken by any country.
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Nilekani has also played a pivotal role in shaping India's digital public infrastructure. He was instrumental in promoting the framework that eventually led to the development of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which transformed digital payments across the country and has since become one of India's most successful technology exports.
Over the years, he has chaired government technology committees, served on the boards of leading policy institutions, advised international organisations and invested in several Indian technology startups.
Recipient of Padma Bhushan, many other awards
Nilekani’s experience in building digital infrastructure at a national scale is widely seen as one of the key reasons behind his appointment.
In January 2023, he was appointed co-chair of the G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure for Economic Transformation, Financial Inclusion, and Development.
He is a recipient of many national and international honours, including the Padma Bhushan (2006), the Joseph Schumpeter Prize (2005), the Forbes Asia Businessman of the Year award, the Business Standard Lifetime Achievement Award (2022). He was also named in TIME’s lists of the 100 Most Influential People in the World (2006, 2009) and the 100 Most Influential People in AI (2024).
Nilekani is also an author. His books include Imagining India, Rebooting India: Realizing a Billion Aspirations (co-authored with Viral Shah), and The Art of Bitfulness: Keeping Calm in the Digital World (co-authored with Tanuj Bhojwani).
