Lucknow: IAS officer Divya Mittal has resigned from the civil services after nearly 13 years, saying she was stepping away from the post voluntarily after a journey that taught her more from ordinary people than she could have imagined.
Mittal shared an emotional message on social media announcing her decision and reflecting on her journey from a modest background to the Indian Administrative Service and her experiences while serving in different parts of Uttar Pradesh.
Recalling her early years, Mittal said she grew up in an ordinary family but always dreamt of building a better life. She worked hard to study at IIT Delhi and IIM Bangalore before moving to London for a job. Despite achieving what she had aspired for, she said she felt a sense of emptiness at being away from her country.
“My education, confidence and the strength to walk with my head held high anywhere in the world are a debt to this soil,” she wrote, explaining why she returned to India and chose to join the civil services.
Mittal specifically recalled her postings in Deoria and Mirzapur. Deoria, she said, taught her that standing up for what is right was not a choice but a duty. Mirzapur taught her that the word “impossible” was not a fact but merely an opinion.
She also spoke about her faith in Maa Vindhyavasini and said her experiences at the shrine taught her that real strength does not come from a position but from divine grace and the trust of people.
For Mittal, some of the most meaningful moments of her career came from seeing tangible changes in the lives of people. She recalled the happiness of a family that received land rights for the first time, the dignity restored to a person with disability and water finally reaching a farmer’s field.
She said these experiences taught her an important lesson: behind every government file is a person, and protecting that person's dignity is the essence of justice.
Looking back, Mittal said she had initially believed that she had entered public service to give something to society. Over time, she realised that she had received much more in return.
“People celebrated my happiness more than I did,” she wrote, adding that even when she was tired or struggling, people continued to look at her with the same faith. That trust, she said, gave her the strength to continue.
Mittal also thanked the officers, employees and colleagues who worked alongside her during her administrative career and stood by her in difficult circumstances.
She ended her message by recalling an incident involving an elderly woman from Lahuria Dah. When the woman saw water reaching her village for the first time, she did not say anything. Instead, she touched Mittal’s head with her trembling hands and blessed her.
The gesture, Mittal said, remained one of the most emotional memories of her years in public service.
While her administrative position may now be behind her, Mittal said the dream she carried from the soil of India and the trust she received from its people would remain with her for the rest of her life.
