Prashant Chaudhary Wins 5th Rohini Nayyar Prize for Rural Development

Prashant Chaudhary, founder of CodeYogi Foundation, won the fifth Rohini Nayyar Prize for Outstanding Contribution to Rural Development in November 2026. Chaudhary’s foundation has impacted over 3.5 lakh students in 9 states and 120 districts by providing tech and AI education. The prize acknowledges his efforts to provide rural students with digital skills via smartphone based learning modules in Indian languages. Chaudhary, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, will be donating the prize money to the foundation.

About Prashant Chaudhary and CodeYogi Foundation

The primary goal of Chaudhary’s work is to overcome rural students’ barriers to learning tech. By offering a smartphone-based learning platform, students don’t need access to computer labs, English lessons or specialist teachers.

The courses are offered in Indian languages so students can learn via their family smartphones.

At the time of winning the prize, CodeYogi has impacted over 3.5 lakh students in 9 states and 120 districts. The foundation offers a 30-day practical AI fluency course which introduces students to practical AI tools. The course also covers introductory AI concepts and algorithmic bias.

From a Village Near Meerut to IIT Delhi

Chaudhary started his tech journey by facing issues in his education. Whilst studying in Class 4 he struggled when moving from a Hindi medium school to an English medium school. However, his Science teacher Mita Singh, helped to boost his confidence by asking him questions at the right level.

During his studies in Class 11 he saw a mention of the Indian Institutes of Technology. Later he became the first person from his village near Meerut, Uttar Pradesh to get into an IIT. He graduated from IIT Delhi in 2010.

He began teaching his friends and family how to code in 2012 after working in the software industry. In 2016 he launched his own software service company DevsLane. In 2020 he left the company and invested the money back into creating CodeYogi.

CodeYogi Smartphone Based Learning

Initially, the foundation offered traditional computer-based training. However, due to computers being faulty and electricity being inconsistent it was an issue to set up computer labs in rural areas.

However a trial with 16,500 students in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh in 2023 showed that students could learn how to code on their smartphones. This was a key moment for the foundation.

As generative AI started to change the way software is developed, the foundation decided to move away from just coding and launched a 30 day practical AI fluency course.

Key features of the learning platform include,

• Smartphone based learning.
• Courses are offered in Indian languages to help overcome English barriers.
• Students learn practical tech skills.
• Students learn about AI with introductory concepts and algorithmic bias.
• To help those who do not have access to traditional computer labs.
• At the time of winning the prize 48.6% of learners were female and 95% used only their smartphone.

What is the Rohini Nayyar Prize?

The Rohini Nayyar Prize for Outstanding Contribution to Rural Development in India is an annual prize created by the Nayyar Foundation for Social and Economic Purpose in 2022. It was created in honour of Dr Rohini Nayyar.

The prize recognises individuals aged up to 40 who have made a significant contribution to improving lives in rural India. The prize includes,

• £10 Lakh cash prize.
• Citation.
• Trophy.

The prize acknowledges innovative work, such as using new technologies. The prize also acknowledges long-term development projects which have a significant impact.

Previous Winners of the Rohini Nayyar Prize

Year	Winner	Awarded to Organisation/Initiative	State
2022	Sethrichem Sangtam	Better Life Foundation	Nagaland
2023	Deenanath Rajput	Bhoomgadi Mahila Krishi Utpadak Sangathan	Chhattisgarh
2024	Anil Pradhan	Young Tinker Foundation	Odisha
2025	Vidhya Parshuramkar	Agrozee Organics – Millets Now	Maharashtra
2026	Prashant Chaudhary	CodeYogi Foundation	Uttar Pradesh

Who was Dr Rohini Nayyar?

Dr Rohini Nayyar was a celebrated Indian economist and administrator who worked heavily in rural development and public policy. The prize was created by her family to continue her contribution to improving rural livelihoods.

She worked on developing rural employment policy in India. This included working on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). She passed away in 2021.
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