# Alakh Pandey backs PM Modi’s free online coaching plan 2026-08-16T19:36:20+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet (2 source reports) Physics Wallah founder Alakh Pandey has welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of free online coaching for competitive exams. Pandey said on X that he is ready to support the government's scheme unconditionally and wants no profit from it. He said online education can bring quality learning to remote towns and villages, but the success of the plan will depend on how it is implemented on the ground. PM Modi announced the free online coaching scheme in his Independence Day speech, saying the government will use India's digital infrastructure and skilled teachers to create a network across the country. He said the rising dependence on coaching institutes has become a big financial burden on middle-class families. The government also announced an AI skilling programme and a sports talent hub for youth. PM Modi's 75-minute speech was his shortest in four years. Last year he spoke for 103 minutes, in 2024 for 98 minutes, and in 2016 for 96 minutes. His shortest speech was in 2017 at 56 minutes. ## Coverage - bazaar.businesstoday.in - bazaar.businesstoday.in (2) This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Tags: Alakh Pandey, Narendra Modi, Physics Wallah Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/alakh-pandey-backs-pm-modis-free-online-coaching-plan/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/alakh-pandey-backs-pm-modis-free-online-coaching-plan/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/