Rohini Nayyar Prize honours Prashant Chaudhary for CodeYogi rural AI skills programme

Prashant Chaudhary, a technology educator from Dehradun, received the fifth Rohini Nayyar Prize on Saturday. The award recognised work linked to rural development through technology learning. Chaudhary founded the CodeYogi Foundation, which teaches practical AI and technology skills to youth. The prize includes Rs 10 lakh, a citation, and a trophy.

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Former Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant presented the Rohini Nayyar Prize to Chaudhary at the ceremony. Chaudhary described how the learning model uses family smartphones. The platform works in Indian languages and does not rely on computers. It also avoids needing labs, English, or trained teachers.

Rohini Nayyar Prize recognises AI learning model

CodeYogi now runs a 30-day applied AI fluency programme for students. Learners use real AI tools for tasks that support studies. The tools also help with daily needs at home. Chaudhary said, "AI is evolving faster than school systems.\" The approach aims to fill gaps left by limited rural infrastructure.

Chaudhary said the programme expanded quickly during the last three years. It reached over 3.5 lakh students across nine states and 120 districts. These districts cover 30 per cent of Indias geographical area, Chaudhary said. The foundation expects to reach one million learners by March 2027.

Rohini Nayyar Prize details and past winners

The Rohini Nayyar Prize started in 2022 in memory of Dr Rohini Nayyar. Dr Rohini Nayyar worked as an economist and administrator. Much of Dr Rohini Nayyar’s career focused on rural development issues. The family instituted the award through the Nayyar Foundation for Social and Economic Purpose.

The prize is awarded every year to support social and economic development in India. Previous winners include Sethrichem Sangtam from Nagaland 2022 and Dinanath Rajput from Chhattisgarh 2023. The later winners were Anil Pradhan from Odisha 2024. Vidhya Parshuramkar from Pune won in 2025.

Rohini Nayyar Prize foundation leadership and student data

The Foundation directors are Deepak Nayyar, Emeritus Professor of Economics, JNU. Deepak Nayyar also served as former vice-chancellor, Delhi University. The other directors are Dhiraj Nayyar of Vedanta Resources and Gaurav Nayyar of the World Bank. The prize is administered by the Nayyar Foundation for Social and Economic Purpose.

Chaudhary said the model draws learners from varied backgrounds. Among enrolled students, 48.6 per cent are girls. Around 95 per cent study using only smartphones. Another 59 per cent are advanced learners from non-STEM backgrounds. Chaudhary earlier became the first person from a village near Meerut to join an IIT in 2010.

With inputs from PTI