BIBHUDATTA PRADHAN / NEW DELHI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced free online coaching and a nationwide Artificial Intelligence (AI) skilling drive for youth in his Independence Day speech, stepping up efforts to reach students angered by exam leaks and shrinking job prospects.
“When I speak of a Viksit Bharat, when I speak of advancing the nation at high speed — who is the greatest beneficiary of this? Who is the greatest driving force behind all these efforts? If there is a driving force, it is the youth of my country,” Modi said from the Red Fort on Saturday, as India marked its 80th Independence Day.
He said the “biggest beneficiaries” of a developed India would be young people and that “the youth have a big role in the journey to become a Viksit Bharat.” Modi announced that the government would provide AI skill training to one crore young people over the next year so they can help India lead in the field.
Modi framed the push as part of preparing the country’s large Gen-Z and millennial population for a fast-changing global economy driven by technology.
“Coaching classes burden the poor and the middle class. We will provide free online coaching for various exams,” he said, adding that parents could save “thousands of crores of rupees,” stay close to their children and care for them instead of sending them away to coaching hubs.
The outreach comes after months of youth-led protests over leaked exam papers for key medical and job-related tests, which forced millions of students to sit retests. The protests led to the resignation of the education minister.
Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party have since been trying to limit political damage from the protests, which highlighted growing frustration among young Indians over a lack of quality jobs and reliable education pathways. The unrest has become one of the toughest challenges of Modi’s 12 years in power and given the Congress party and regional groups a potent issue ahead of key state elections, including in Uttar Pradesh.
India has the world’s largest youth population, with roughly a quarter of its people aged between 15 and 29, and more than two-thirds under 35. Young voters aged 18–29 account for nearly 23% of the electorate, according to Election Commission data, and post-poll surveys show the ruling National Democratic Alliance maintained a clear lead among first-time and younger voters in the 2024 national election.
In his speech, Modi also sought to show that his government had expanded education opportunities over the past decade. He said the country had added about 650 universities in the last 10–12 years and the number of medical seats had more than doubled since 2014.
“For 35 years, there was no education policy. We brought a new education policy,” he said, referring to the National Education Policy introduced under his government.
Beyond classrooms and coaching, Modi announced a nationwide sports talent hunt for children aged 5–15 in every village, town and school, pitched as part of India’s bid to field stronger teams for the 2036 Olympics.