Hyderabad, 16^th July 2026: Sambhuti Learning and IIT-Bombay incubated Prosical Language Technologies has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to integrate TARA (Teacher’s Assistant for Reading Assessment), an AI-powered oral reading fluency assessment technology into Sambhuti Learning’s AI-powered learning platform, VidyaBuddhi.

Prosical Language Technologies is incubated at the Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE IIT Bombay), the technology business incubator of IIT Bombay. SINE, IIT Bombay, has supported the commercialisation of this deep-tech innovation by enabling the translation of IIT Bombay research into impactful educational technology.

The collaboration brings together academic research, artificial intelligence and digital learning to equip schools and education programmes with objective, scalable and data-driven tools that help assess, monitor and improve foundational literacy and language fluency.

TARA is a patented AI-powered Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) assessment technology developed at IIT Bombay. Prosical Language Technologies, a company founded by IIT Bombay faculty and alumni, has licensed the technology from IIT Bombay to translate years of academic research into scalable language learning and assessment solutions. 

Under the MoU, TARA will serve as the assessment engine within VidyaBuddhi’s Reading Intervention Programme. The integration will enable teachers to evaluate students’ oral reading accuracy, fluency, pace and expression while generating actionable insights that support personalised instruction and targeted interventions. The platform will support both formative and summative assessments, enabling educators to continuously monitor student progress and address learning gaps through evidence-based instruction.

Mr. Umamaheshwar Ragi, Co-Founder and CEO, Sambhuti Learning, said, “Reading fluency is one of the strongest indicators of learning outcomes. By integrating TARA into VidyaBuddhi, we are combining advanced AI with proven assessment methodologies to help teachers identify learning gaps early and provide targeted interventions. This collaboration strengthens our commitment to improving foundational literacy through technology.”

Under the agreement, Prosical Language Technologies will provide API access, technical integration support, product enhancements and training for seamless implementation of the TARA engine within VidyaBuddhi. Sambhuti Learning will integrate the technology into its platform, provide the required infrastructure and make the solution available to schools and education partners across its digital learning ecosystem.

Commenting on the partnership, Prof. Preeti Rao, Founder & CEO, Prosical Language Technologies, said, “TARA is the outcome of years of research at IIT Bombay to make Oral Reading Fluency assessment objective, scalable, and accessible. Through our collaboration with Sambhuti Learning and the support of SINE, IIT Bombay, we are taking this research beyond the laboratory into classrooms, where educators can use AI-powered insights to strengthen reading fluency and improve learning outcomes for every child.”

The integration will enable schools and education programmes to conduct standardized oral reading assessments on a scale, significantly reduce teachers’ assessment time and generate actionable insights that support targeted interventions and improved language learning outcomes.

Mr. Shaji Varghese, CEO, SINE, IIT Bombay, said, “One of SINE’s key objectives is to help transform cutting-edge research into businesses that create measurable societal impact. This collaboration demonstrates how innovations developed at IIT Bombay can be translated into scalable educational solutions through partnerships between academia, startups and industry.”

Aligned with the goals of NEP 2020 and the NIPUN Bharat Mission, the collaboration seeks to equip educators with practical AI-enabled tools that help identify learning gaps early, personalise instruction and strengthen foundational literacy outcomes.

The seminar brought together over 70 delegates from 35 organisations representing the road construction, infrastructure, research, and policymaking ecosystem. The discussions focused on how recycling technologies can help improve resource efficiency, reduce project costs, and support sustainable road development in India.

With material costs continuing to rise and sustainability becoming a key priority for infrastructure projects, the event provided a platform for industry experts to exchange insights on the wider adoption of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) and other recycling technologies.

The seminar featured presentations from industry and academic experts, including Mr. Prasad Dayal, General Manager, Ammann India, Mr. Martinho J. Fernandes, Assistant Vice President and Product Head, Asphalt Plants, Ammann India, Dr. Dharamveer Singh, Professor at IIT Bombay, Dr. Manoranjan Parida, Former Director, CSIR-CRRI, Dr. Ramya Sri Mullapudi, Assistant Professor, IIT Hyderabad, and Mr. Rajesh Kumar Pandey, Independent Director, Vertis Infrastructure Trust. The sessions explored a range of topics related to sustainable road construction, including asphalt recycling technologies, high RAP utilisation, pavement recycling practices, rejuvenator technologies, evolving policy frameworks, and the future of asphalt recycling in India.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Dheeraj Panda, Managing Director, Ammann India, said, “The defining question for India’s road construction industry over the next decade will not be how much infrastructure we build, but how much value we can create while consuming fewer virgin resources. The industry’s competitive advantage will increasingly come from innovation, circularity, and technology-led resource optimisation. Solutions such as Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) represent a fundamental shift in how we think about road assets as resources which can be renewed. Collaboration between industry, policymakers, researchers, and technology providers are critical to enable an ecosystem for recycling. Through discussions like these Ammann aims to achieve this and make recycling an integral part of road construction in India.”

Experts highlighted the growing potential of RAP to reduce dependence on virgin raw materials while maintaining pavement quality and performance and shared interesting insights on how advanced RAP technologies can substantially reduce virgin aggregate consumption, lower fuel consumption and generate cost savings. Participants also discussed pathways to increase recycling rates in India through greater technology adoption, policy support, and industry awareness.

The seminar also highlighted the significant opportunities for recycling-led road construction in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, where continued investments in transportation infrastructure are driving demand for advanced construction technologies.

Ammann India commands an estimated 50% market share across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and has supported several road infrastructure projects in the region. Through its technology portfolio and local presence, the company continues to work closely with contractors and project stakeholders to advance sustainable road construction practices.

At the national level, Ammann India remains at the forefront of asphalt recycling innovation.

The seminar concluded with a shared commitment from participants to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the adoption of recycling technologies, reinforcing the role of sustainable construction practices in meeting India’s growing infrastructure needs.

Designed to offer a safe, inclusive, and enabling environment, the hostel represents CIL’s commitment to empowering women in higher education and addressing the growing need for quality student accommodation.

Dr. Vinay Ranjan, Director (HR) of Coal India, along with senior officials, graced the inaugural ceremony, reaffirming the company’s dedication to fostering equitable opportunities through strategic social investments.

Only three institutes from India managed to find a place in top 200 in QS World Rankings this year. The Indian institutes in the list are IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi and IISc Bangalore. It may be recalled that IIT Delhi was ranked 182 in 2019 and it fell down to 193 this year.

IIT Delhi director Ramgopal Rao tweeted a letter asking people not to trust the rankings blindly and share some facts. According to Rao, the QS Rankings consider International faculty and students in the institute which is very low for IIT Delhi. He added that in 2019 rankings international students were below the global median and there was a need to hire the faculty. Rao said that IIT Delhi needs to hire 69 international faculty and 820 international students to be close to the global median.

The rankings are based on six indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per faculty, faculty/student ratio, international faculty ratio and international student ratio, compilers of the rankings said.

IIT Bombay is ranked 172nd, while IISc is 185th and IIT Delhi is at 193rd place. A total of 21 Indian higher education institutions are in the top 1000. IISc is ranked as India’s best research university with a score of 100/100 on the ‘citations per faculty’ indicator.

Other IITs in the top 500 are: Madras (275), Kharagpur (314), Kanpur (350), Roorkee (383) and Guwahati (470).

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is ranked as the world’s best university, followed by Stanford University (2nd) and Harvard University (3rd).