Independence Day: PM Modi unveils free coaching, AI training plan for youth

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Saturday that his government would provide free online coaching for competitive exams, weeks after massive youth-led protests forced education minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign.

Modi said the initiative would help reduce the financial burden on millions of families facing intense competition in India’s education system.

The 75-year-old leader made the announcement while speaking from the ramparts of New Delhi’s imposing 17th-century Red Fort to mark the country’s independence from Britain on August 15, 1947.

“We have decided to provide free online coaching for various competitive examinations for our youth. We have the digital public infrastructure, and we have highly talented teachers and educators,” he said.

The announcement follows nationwide protests triggered by the leak of a key medical entrance examination paper and a series of other recruitment scandals.

The protests culminated in the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan last month and exposed widespread frustration among young Indians over access to jobs and educational opportunities.

The protests also highlighted the pressure faced by students in India, the world’s most populous nation, where admission to government-run colleges remains one of the most sought-after pathways to economic security.

Intense competition has fuelled a large coaching industry in which students spend years preparing for exams, often at significant financial cost to their families.

Modi said the free online classes would reduce the financial burden on “poor and middle-class families”.

“The competition surrounding coaching classes has become a huge burden for middle-class families… (Students) can stay close to their families, receive their care, and avoid placing an additional financial burden on them,” he said.

10 million youth to receive AI training

Modi also announced plans to train several million young people in artificial intelligence tools.

“We have decided in the next one year, one crore (10 million) youth will be given training in AI skills,” he said.

Since the protests, authorities have attempted to appease the nation’s youth, with parliament hiking penalties for leaking exam papers.

Critics say the protests posed one of the biggest challenges to Modi’s government since coming to power in 2014.

Modi outlines seven-point growth framework

In a speech lasting more than an hour, Modi also reiterated his government’s vow to help India achieve the status of a developed country in the next 20 years.

He announced a seven-point growth and reform framework focused on manufacturing, agriculture, technology and defence, as well as India’s “soft power” through yoga, tourism and handicrafts.

India, Asia’s third-largest economy, must “establish itself as a trusted global supply chain partner for the world”, Modi said while speaking about manufacturing.

He said India will have eight more semiconductor chip plants and five nuclear reactors in the coming years, with the reactors generating 100 gigawatts of power by 2047.

Last year, the government allowed private firms to build and operate atomic power projects, underlining a push for alternative energy.

Modi said young people stood to gain the most from his vision for development.

“The youth have a big role to play in the journey towards a developed India… the greatest beneficiary of a developed India is the youth of the country.”