India: Modi courts youth amid growing criticism

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi put young people at the heart of his development agenda in a speech marking India’s Independence Day on Saturday. He announced free online coaching for competitive exams and plans to train 10 million young people in artificial intelligence over the next year. The speech comes amid gr

Rahul Gandhi interacts with students who protested last month seeking then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over the issue of paper leaks and faced alleged police excesses on July 20. File | Photo Credit: x/@RahulGandhi Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday (August 16, 2026) said the courage with wh

India's Modi woos youth with free coaching, AI training  Dawn

Speaking on India's Independence Day, PM Modi announced free online coaching for competitive exams and AI training for 10 million youths, weeks after protests over alleged exam paper leaks and recruitment irregularities.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday his government would provide free online coaching lessons for competitive exams, weeks after massive youth-led protests forced the education minister to resign. Modi said the initiative was aimed at easing the financial burden on millions of families caught up in the

The prime minister highlighted specific sector-wise growth recorded during his 12-year tenure. Defence production has quadrupled and electronic manufacturing has expanded seven times, he said

Speaking weeks after massive youth-led protests forced the education minister to resign, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the initiative was aimed at easing the financial burden on millions of families.

Talking about the dream to become a developed country by 2047, PM Modi said, “The world will be forced to look at India differently when the most populous country becomes a developed nation.”

The protests are becoming one of the biggest political challenges for Narendra Modi, adding to pressure since his party lost its outright majority in the 2024 election.