Prashant Chaudhary wins Rohini Nayyar Prize

Dehradun technology educator Prashant Chaudhary has been awarded the fifth Rohini Nayyar Prize for Outstanding Contribution to Rural Development. Established in honor of Ms. Nayyar, a scholar-administrator and activist focused on rural development, the annual prize is bestowed by the Nayyar Foundation to notable contributors in social and economic realms. Former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant presented the prize to Mr. Chaudhary on Saturday, October 31, 2026.

The award encompasses a ₹10 lakh cash prize, a citation, and a trophy. A jury comprising experts from civil society, academia, and government selected the recipient. Chaudhary, founder of the CodeYogi Foundation, equips India's underserved youth with practical AI and technology skills. His platform operates on family smartphones in Indian languages, requiring no computers, labs, English proficiency, or trained teachers.

As the first person from his village near Meerut to attend an IIT (IIT Delhi, 2010), Chaudhary initiated teaching technology to students from his village shortly after graduation. In 2020, he dedicated himself to expanding this initiative, establishing CodeYogi. The program, which now spans over 350,000 students across nine states and 120 districts, offers a 30-day applied AI fluency course where learners utilize real AI tools for tasks relevant to their studies and daily lives.