Modi maps India’s growth push as he reaches out to students
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- Modi used his Aug. 15 Independence Day address from New Delhi's Red Fort to renew his pledge to make India a developed nation by 2047, the centenary of independence from British rule, and promised "next level reforms" in coming years.
- Modi announced plans for up to eight additional chip plants over the next seven to eight years and said India aims to start five nuclear reactors, part of a push to expand nuclear capacity eleven-fold to 100 gigawatts by 2047, with private firms now permitted to build and operate atomic power projects after a 2025 policy change.
- Modi announced free online coaching for students preparing for competitive exams and a plan to train 10 million youth on AI skills within one year — concessions directed at young Indians weeks after exam-leak protests forced Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, the first cabinet minister to step down under public pressure during Modi's 12 years in power.
- The Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical website-turned-pressure group, led July demonstrations against leaked exams, after which the government introduced tougher penalties for paper leaks and set up a high-powered task force to overhaul how competitive examinations are conducted.
- India's youth unemployment averaged about 20% among 15- to 24-year-olds, with more than a third of graduates and postgraduates jobless, according to Bloomberg Economics — a jobs challenge Modi flagged by stressing self-reliance in manufacturing, agriculture, technology, infrastructure, defence and green energy.
Why it matters: Modi's pitch to young Indians comes against 20% youth unemployment and over a third of graduates jobless, making free coaching and an AI training pledge for 10 million direct concessions to a demographic that just forced his first cabinet resignation in 12 years. The 2047 targets — eight new chip plants, five nuclear reactors, 100 GW of nuclear capacity — reframe long-term economic ambitions around voters who need jobs now.
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