Congress questions Centre’s free coaching plan, cites poor record of existing scheme
The Ministry of Social Justice had set a target of enrolling 10,500 candidates under its existing free coaching scheme over three years, but had enrolled only 2,790 students — about 26% of the target, Jairam Ramesh said
On August 28, 2026, Congress questioned the Centre's decision to provide free online coaching to students, citing the government's poor record in implementing an existing free coaching scheme. Congress communication chief Jairam Ramesh pointed out that Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had highlighted the growing dependence of Indian families on coaching centers and argued that an "extractive coaching industry" had supplanted the public education system.
He noted that families spent 2.5 times more on coaching centers than the Union government invests in education. Ramesh claimed that this disclosure forced Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce free online coaching in his Independence Day address on August 15 in a desperate attempt to address growing public pressure. However, the Congress general secretary questioned the government's ability to deliver on the promise, citing a report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment.
According to the report, the Ministry of Social Justice had set a target of enrolling 10,500 candidates over three years but had enrolled only 2,790 students, which is about 26% of the target. The allocation for the scheme had also declined each year, with the government's expenditure last year being less than half the budgeted amount.
Ramesh termed the proposed initiative an "accountability-evading gimmick" and said the government's record showed that it had "little capacity to implement this scheme successfully."
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