ACC clears 5 Additional Secretary-level appointments; Saurabh Vijay is new UIDAI CEO

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Wednesday (May 6, 2026) approved five appointments and assignments at the level of Additional Secretary to the Government of India.

1. Manish Bhardwaj (IAS:1997:GJ), presently serving as Secretary, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Ministry of Home Affairs, has been appointed as Adviser in the Inter State Council Secretariat under the Ministry of Home Affairs in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary.
2. Saurabh Vijay (IAS:1998:MH), presently posted in the cadre, has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary.
3. Nilkanth S Avhad (IAS:1999:PB), presently serving in the cadre, has been appointed as Secretary, NDMA, Ministry of Home Affairs, has also been appointed in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary.
4. Priyank Bharti (IAS:2001:PB), presently serving in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). She will also hold the additional charge of Director General, National Informatics Centre (NIC).
5. Richa Misra (IDAS:1996), presently serving in the cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.