Govt courts Gen Z, Alpha with campus outreach

Meanwhile, the Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now.

Key points

• Education minister Pralhad Joshi and youth affairs minister Mansukh Mandaviya are learnt to be coordinating the initiative.
• Administration outreach to Gen Z and AlphaUniversity outreach programmePrime Minister Modi social media rankingSocial media report cards for ministersNEET protests.
• Power shift, a déjà vu: Air India could be new CEO's toughest flight yet.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi topped the overall rankings in the report card.
• The Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now.

Meanwhile, the Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now. Administration courts Gen Z, Alpha with social media, campus outreach. ET BureauLast Updated: Aug 20, 2026, 12: 35: 00 AM IST.

For context, the administration is ramping up efforts to improve ministers' digital engagement and foster direct connections with students. Ministers have received detailed reports on their social media performance, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Union ministers leading the rankings. As part of this initiative, these ministers will visit various administration schools and universities, aiming to engage with the youth and address their pressing matters.

New Delhi: In a calibrated outreach to Gen Z and Gen Alpha, the Narendra Modi administration has adopted a twin-track strategy: sharpening digital communication of ministers while expanding their direct engagement with students through universities and schools. As part of the exercise, Union ministers were given detailed social media report cards during Wednesday's Cabinet session, assessing their performance between May 1 and August 15 – a period that coincided with the NEET protests and heightened youth engagement on social media. As sources indicate, the assessment covered ministers' performance throughout LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Facebook, measuring parameters such as average daily posts, total engagement and average engagement per post, total and average likes, follower base and overall interaction generated. The exercise was aimed at assessing the effectiveness of digital outreach of the ministers rather than merely their follower count.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi topped the overall rankings in the report card. While a few ministers from NDA allies were assessed as needing to strengthen their digital engagement, among the highest-performing Union ministers were Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Piyush Goyal, Ashwini Vaishnaw and CR Paatil. Separate rankings were additionally prepared throughout the political spectrum, with Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath featuring among the top performers, alongside Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal and Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay. The review extends beyond social media. Modi additionally asked ministers to visit administration schools in their respective districts and interact with students, a move seen as significant against the backdrop of reports from some states of Gen Alpha students protesting over inadequate infrastructure and facilities. Ministers have additionally been advised to rise meaningful online engagement and respond more actively to public reservations. Live Events.

University Visits The digital audit will be complemented by a nationwide university outreach programme, under which Union ministers will spend a day at universities interacting with students, listening to their reservations and explaining administration initiatives for youth. Education minister Pralhad Joshi and youth affairs minister Mansukh Mandaviya are learnt to be coordinating the initiative. The outreach comes against the backdrop of the NEET protests that dominated the Monsoon Session of Parliament. It additionally builds on an earlier internal exercise in which newly elected MPs and recent NDA entrants, including legislators from the Trinamool rebel faction and Shiv Sena, were given performance report cards to sharpen public communication and organisational outreach. Add Now!

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For now, govt courts Gen Z, Alpha with campus outreach remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.