PANAJI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced a nationwide free online coaching initiative for competitive examinations, aimed at easing the financial burden on poor and middle-class families, while outlining a broad roadmap for building a developed India by 2047.
Addressing the nation from the Red Fort on the 80th Independence Day, Modi said the government would combine Digital Public Infrastructure, the country’s talent pool and experienced educators to create a large-scale platform offering free coaching to young people preparing for various competitive examinations.
“For our middle-class families, the cutthroat competition of coaching classes has emerged as an excruciatingly heavy burden,” Modi said, noting that many parents feel compelled to send their children to coaching centres despite the financial strain. Modi said the initiative would help families avoid spending large sums on coaching while allowing young people to prepare for examinations from home.
He also announced that India will undertake AI skill training for one crore young people in the coming year, saying the move would help the country’s youth take a leading role in artificial intelligence. The Prime Minister said India’s youth would be central to the goal of making the country a developed nation by 2047. He pointed to the growth of the startup ecosystem, saying India now has more than 2.5 lakh registered startups and has created a Rs 1 lakh crore innovation fund.
Modi further announced a nationwide talent hunt for children aged between five and 15 years to identify potential athletes ahead of the 2036 Olympics, which India is seeking to host. He said the government would identify sporting talent in villages, cities and schools and provide specialised training to children in disciplines where India currently has little or no representation.
On women’s representation, Modi appealed to all political parties to implement the women’s reservation law and ensure 33% representation for women in state legislatures and the Lok Sabha. He urged political parties to “become the venerators of the immense prowess of these women” and ensure that the reservation becomes a reality at the earliest.
Modi also announced the creation of a modern civil defence network to prepare citizens for new forms of warfare and emergencies. He said traditional civil defence systems designed around the wars of the previous century were no longer adequate. Referring to the government’s newly announced Mission Sudarshan Chakra, he said India was strengthening its defence capabilities in response to the changing nature of warfare, including threats to critical infrastructure, banking systems, refineries and data centres.
On economic development, Modi reiterated the target of making India a developed nation by 2047 and unveiled what he described as the “Seven Streams of Power” or Saptadhara: manufacturing, agriculture and food processing, technology and innovation, infrastructure, defence, the green economy, and India’s soft power. He called for India to become a major global manufacturing hub, with a focus on cost, quality and scale. “Our mantra must singularly be quality, quality, quality,” he said, urging Indian manufacturers and MSMEs to meet global standards and expand their presence in international markets.
On self-reliance, Modi said India was moving to reduce dependence on foreign supplies in strategically important sectors, including semiconductors, critical minerals, energy and defence. He said three semiconductor plants had already commenced operations and that another five to eight plants would be established over the next seven to eight years.
On energy security, Modi said India was targeting 100 gigawatts of nuclear power capacity by 2047 and planned to commission five new nuclear reactors during the current decade. He also highlighted the expansion of solar energy and piped gas infrastructure. Modi said India had moved from a solar capacity of 2 GW before 2014 to 160 GW and that the PM Surya Ghar scheme had already helped equip 50 lakh homes with solar power. He also highlighted the government’s push for hydrogen-powered transport, saying India had inaugurated its first hydrogen-powered locomotive.
On agriculture, Modi said the government was shielding farmers from global fertiliser price increases, citing the provision of urea at Rs 300 per sack despite significantly higher global prices. He also said DAP was being provided to farmers at Rs 1,350. The Prime Minister further announced a 100-week nationwide campaign for a drug-free India, calling on families, NGOs, social and cultural organisations and spiritual leaders to participate.
He also said the government would allow citizens to provide their own information digitally during the ongoing census process using mobile phones, with officials subsequently verifying the details. Modi said this would help reduce errors in names and other personal information.
On social welfare, Modi said the government had expanded access to social security and healthcare, including free treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh for citizens aged 70 and above under Ayushman Bharat. He said the government had also exceeded its earlier target of creating three crore Lakhpati Didis and was now aiming to create another three crore, taking the total target to six crore women.
Modi said India’s development journey must be driven not only by the government but by citizens, state governments, local bodies, industry, farmers and young people. “Let the nation’s interest be above our own, and let duty be our identity,” he said, calling on citizens to turn “dreams into resolutions, resolutions into capabilities, and capabilities into success.”
He reiterated that India’s goal was to become a developed nation by 2047, saying the country could achieve it through faster reforms, greater self-reliance, technological innovation, and the collective efforts of its citizens.
