India: Modi courts youth amid growing criticism

Summary

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 growing criticism of Modi’s Hindu nationalist policies and recent youth-led protests against his government, as analyzed by FRANCE 24's, Jamie Smith-Maillet.