Who is Saurabh Vijay? Meet the New UIDAI Chief Appointed by the Government!

Saurabh Vijay has been appointed as the new CEO of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). A senior bureaucrat from the 1998 IAS batch, Vijay's appointment has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. This article also highlights other significant bureaucratic changes, including the appointments of Manish Bhardwaj and Nilkanth S Avhad in key government roles. Read on to learn more about these developments and their implications for the Indian administrative landscape.

By Narendra Chaudhary May 6, 2026, 19:11 IST

Saurabh Vijay Takes the Helm at UIDAI

In a significant move, Saurabh Vijay has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) as of Wednesday. This senior bureaucrat, who belongs to the 1998 batch of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), is currently stationed in Maharashtra.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has officially sanctioned Vijay's new role, which comes with the rank and salary equivalent to that of an Additional Secretary in the Government of India, as per a notification from the Personnel Ministry.

In related appointments, Manish Bhardwaj, an IAS officer from Gujarat, has been designated as an Adviser at the Inter-State Council Secretariat under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Bhardwaj is presently serving as the Secretary of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Following Bhardwaj's new appointment, Nilkanth S Avhad has been appointed as the new Secretary of NDMA. Avhad, who is a 1999-batch IAS officer, is currently working in Punjab.

Additionally, Priyank Bharti, also from the same cadre, will take on the role of Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology. He will also oversee the responsibilities of Director General at the National Informatics Centre (NIC) within the same ministry.

Furthermore, Richa Misra, a 1996-batch officer from the Indian Defence Accounts Service, has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs, which falls under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.