Modi maps India’s growth push as he reaches out to students

New Delhi – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his Independence Day speech to renew his pledge to make the country a developed nation within two decades and reach out to younger citizens following widespread student protests.

“Our dream is that when India celebrates 100 years of independence, it touches new heights,” Modi said in his address from the historic Red Fort in New Delhi on Aug 15.

His government has long set 2047, the centenary of India’s independence from British rule, as the target for achieving developed-economy status.

In a speech lasting more than an hour, Modi laid out his priorities for the next stage of growth in Asia’s third-largest economy, spanning manufacturing, agriculture, technology, infrastructure, defence, green energy and soft power. He stressed the need for greater self-reliance in those areas and reiterated a series of ambitious targets.

“The country will have up to eight more chip plants in the next seven to eight years,” Modi said, adding that India aims to start five nuclear reactors.

In 2025, the government allowed private firms to develop atomic power projects as it pursues an ambitious goal of expanding nuclear power capacity elevenfold to 100 gigawatts by 2047.

Modi also highlighted India’s efforts to forge more partnerships on critical minerals and develop alternative sources of energy, as part of a broader push to reduce the country’s reliance on imports.

His confidence is echoed by other Indian officials.

When the Iran-US war erupted, it dealt a major economic shock to India, the world’s third-largest crude oil importer. As oil bills surged and the rupee plunged to record lows, Modi at the time urged citizens to cut fuel use and limit travel to help reduce the country’s energy costs and save precious foreign exchange.

Five months later, officials sound more upbeat. Fears of an inflation spike and an economic downturn have yet to materialise. 

“India will move towards next-level reforms in the coming years,” Modi said.

Engaging students

The speech comes weeks after widespread student protests over exam irregularities put Modi’s government on the back foot.

Modi reached out to young Indians on Aug 15, saying they would be among the main beneficiaries of the government’s growth push. 

The Prime Minister also announced free online coaching for students preparing for competitive exams.

Private coaching centres have proliferated across the country in recent decades, with millions of students relying on them to prepare for fiercely competitive entrance tests for elite colleges and government jobs.

Leaks of some of those exams in 2026 sparked massive protests in July, led by the Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical website-turned-pressure group.

The demonstrations forced the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the first Cabinet minister to step down under public pressure during Modi’s 12 years in power.

The government has in recent days introduced tougher penalties for paper leaks and set up a high-powered task force to overhaul how the world’s most populous nation conducts competitive examinations.

In his speech, Modi also announced the government’s plan to train 10 million young people on artificial intelligence skills in the next year to prepare them for jobs. He did not give details. 

While India has for years been one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies, it has struggled to create enough quality jobs for the millions of young people entering the workforce.

Unemployment among 15- to 24-year-olds has averaged about 20 per cent, compared with 16 per cent among its middle-income peers, according to Bloomberg Economics.

The joblessness is concentrated mainly among graduates and postgraduates, with over a third unemployed, it added. That challenges the conventional expectation that higher education improves job prospects. Bloomberg