IAS Saurabh Vijay Takes Charge as New CEO of UIDAI, Here’s What the Aadhaar Authority Does
Saurabh Vijay assumed charge as the Chief Executive Officer of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Monday. He is an IAS officer of the 1998 batch of the Maharashtra cadre. Before starting his new role at Unique Identification Authority of India as the CEO, he handled expenditure matters for the Maharashtra government as Principal Secretary in the Finance Department. Across nearly two decades in administration, he has worked in a range of departments at both the state and central levels, further building experience in a variety of fields including governance, policy planning, education, tourism, and public finance. Many people know about Aadhaar, but still not many are still not so familiar with the organisation behind this.
Saurabh Vijay is a civil engineering graduate from IIT Delhi (Indian Institute of Technology). Over the years, he has worked across multiple departments related to finance, planning, tourism, and education. His previous assignments in Maharashtra include roles such as Principal Secretary for Planning, Development Commissioner of Maharashtra, Principal Secretary for Tourism, Secretary of Medical Education, and Secretary of Higher and Technical Education. These roles gave him experience in policy-making, budgeting, administration, and development planning.
Saurabh Vijay’s Roles at National and International Level
Apart from working in Maharashtra, Vijay has also worked and held important positions at the national and international levels. He worked as a Director at the President’s Secretariat in New Delhi and later worked as Advisor to the Executive Director representing Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Sri Lanka at the World Bank. His experience at the World Bank gave him hands-on experience in international policy and governance systems which additionally proved him valuable for the post of CEO and for leading an authority like UIDAI.
UIDAI is considered as one of India’s most important digital authorities because Aadhaar has become deeply important for public services and identity verification systems. As the CEO, Saurabh Vijay will supervise Aadhaar related operations, technological systems, and future digital identity initiatives. He will also play an important role in ensuring that Aadhaar services remain secure and accessible to millions of users across the country. With India moving forward with the agenda of expanding its digital governance network, his appointment as the CEO is expected to play an important role in the future functioning and development of Aadhaar services.
UIDAI is the government authority responsible for managing Aadhaar, the 12-digit unique identity number issued to Indian residents. To sum it up, UIDAI is the organisation that creates, updates, and maintains the Aadhaar system across the country. UIDAI also manages Aadhaar authentication systems that verify a person’s identity through its fingerprints, iris scans, facial recognition, or OTP verification. Because of all these crucial aspects, the UIDAI plays an important role in India’s growing digital infrastructure.
Saurabh Vijay’s Educational Background and Experiences
Saurabh Vijay is a civil engineering graduate from IIT Delhi (Indian Institute of Technology). Over the years, he has worked across multiple departments related to finance, planning, tourism, and education. His previous assignments in Maharashtra include roles such as Principal Secretary for Planning, Development Commissioner of Maharashtra, Principal Secretary for Tourism, Secretary of Medical Education, and Secretary of Higher and Technical Education. These roles gave him experience in policy-making, budgeting, administration, and development planning.
Saurabh Vijay’s Roles at National and International Level
Apart from working in Maharashtra, Vijay has also worked and held important positions at the national and international levels. He worked as a Director at the President’s Secretariat in New Delhi and later worked as Advisor to the Executive Director representing Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Sri Lanka at the World Bank. His experience at the World Bank gave him hands-on experience in international policy and governance systems which additionally proved him valuable for the post of CEO and for leading an authority like UIDAI.
Why does Saurabh’s appointment Matters
UIDAI is considered as one of India’s most important digital authorities because Aadhaar has become deeply important for public services and identity verification systems. As the CEO, Saurabh Vijay will supervise Aadhaar related operations, technological systems, and future digital identity initiatives. He will also play an important role in ensuring that Aadhaar services remain secure and accessible to millions of users across the country. With India moving forward with the agenda of expanding its digital governance network, his appointment as the CEO is expected to play an important role in the future functioning and development of Aadhaar services.
What Does UIDAI Actually do ?
UIDAI is the government authority responsible for managing Aadhaar, the 12-digit unique identity number issued to Indian residents. To sum it up, UIDAI is the organisation that creates, updates, and maintains the Aadhaar system across the country. UIDAI also manages Aadhaar authentication systems that verify a person’s identity through its fingerprints, iris scans, facial recognition, or OTP verification. Because of all these crucial aspects, the UIDAI plays an important role in India’s growing digital infrastructure.









