Overview
Udaan 2026, titled “From Surviving to Thriving,” was convened in New Delhi by Rocket Learning, one of India’s largest early‑learning non‑profits. The event brought together leaders from government, academia, philanthropy, technology and civil society to discuss evidence, investment and delivery mechanisms needed to give every child a strong start.
Participants
The speaker roster featured Rocket Learning co‑founders Azeez Gupta, Namya Mahajan, Siddhant Sachdeva and Utsav Kheria, alongside senior officials such as Dr. Shena Aggarwal (Special Secretary‑cum‑Director, Dept. of Social Security, Women and Child Development, Punjab) and Dr. Mrinalini Darswal (Commissioner‑cum‑Secretary, Dept. of Women and Child Development, Odisha). Government representation included Dr. M. Srinivas, Member of NITI Aayog; Labour and Employment former Secretary Arti Ahuja; Joint Secretary Radhika Jha, Ministry of Women and Child Development; and senior Women and Child Development officials from Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh. International and academic voices included Amanda Devercelli (former Global Early Childhood Development Head, World Bank Group), Dr. Soumya Swaminathan (Chairperson, M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation), Dr. Dinesh Arora (Principal Specialist, Asian Development Bank) and Dr. Abhijeet Singh (Professor, Stockholm School of Economics and J‑PAL Board Member). Technology partners from OpenAI, TRYST at IIT Bombay and SIRA also participated.
Key Discussions
Dr. M. Srinivas emphasized that Anganwadi staff should not be burdened with manual record‑keeping, urging technology and policy reforms to let them focus on nurturing mothers and children. Arti Ahuja highlighted AI’s potential to provide data‑driven empathy, enabling village‑level identification of red flags such as migration or food scarcity and delivering targeted support before families fall behind. Panels examined reforms to strengthen Anganwadis, investment strategies for early childhood development, lessons from academia and the role of digital tools in supporting the youngest children. Dr. Abhijeet Singh presented results and lessons from the evaluation of a successful, technology‑based homegrown early childhood development model.
Outcomes & Commitments
Rocket Learning’s co‑founders reiterated that every child deserves to thrive, not merely survive, and asserted that India possesses both ideas and will to scale solutions. The organization reaffirmed its commitment to the early‑learning ecosystem, noting that since 2020 it has impacted six million children (birth to six years) across more than 500,000 classrooms, including 400,000 Anganwadi educators, in 15 states/UTs and over 200 districts. Rocket Learning aims to reach 50 million underserved children by 2030 through responsible AI, digital innovation and strong government partnerships.
About Rocket Learning
Rocket Learning leverages technology, behavioral insights and government collaborations to transform foundational learning outcomes at scale. Its mission is to make quality early education accessible, inclusive and effective for every child.
Disclaimer
The press release is issued under an arrangement with Newsvoir; PTI assumes no editorial responsibility.