Priyank Bharti, a 2001-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).
Alongside this appointment, he has also been given the additional charge of Director General of the National Informatics Centre (NIC), one of the Government of India’s key digital governance and technology institutions.
Strategic Role in India’s Digital Governance Ecosystem
The appointment places Priyank Bharti in two strategically important leadership positions within India’s digital governance and technology infrastructure ecosystem.
As MeitY Additional Secretary, he will contribute toward:
- Digital infrastructure policy
- Technology governance
- E-governance initiatives
- Digital public service delivery
- Technology innovation frameworks
- Digital transformation programmes
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology plays a central role in flagship initiatives such as Digital India and broader technology-driven governance reforms.
Additional Charge as NIC Director General
In his additional role as Director General of NIC, Bharti will oversee critical government digital infrastructure and IT systems supporting central and state-level governance operations.
The National Informatics Centre is responsible for:
- Government digital platforms
- E-governance systems
- Public service delivery infrastructure
- Data management systems
- Administrative technology platforms
- Cybersecurity-linked government IT operations
NIC has played a major role in enabling digital governance frameworks used across ministries, departments, and state governments.
Strengthening Coordination Between Policy and Execution
Officials indicated that the dual appointment is expected to improve coordination between policy formulation and technology implementation across India’s governance ecosystem.
The combined responsibilities are particularly significant as India continues accelerating investments in:
- Digital governance infrastructure
- Citizen-centric digital services
- Secure government technology systems
- Public digital platforms
- Technology-led administrative modernization
Focus on Technology-Driven Governance Transformation
The appointment reflects the Government of India’s continued emphasis on leveraging technology for governance modernization and public service transformation.
As digital adoption expands across sectors, the role of MeitY Additional Secretary leadership becomes increasingly important in shaping India’s technology governance, digital infrastructure, cybersecurity readiness, and public digital ecosystem development.
