New Delhi: Senior IAS officer Divya Mittal has resigned from the Indian Administrative Service after completing a 13-year journey in public service, sharing an emotional account of her experiences, lessons and the people who shaped her career.
Mittal, who has served as District Magistrate of Deoria, Mirzapur and Sant Kabir Nagar, besides holding several other responsibilities in the Uttar Pradesh government, said she had voluntarily chosen to step away from a career that had become an unforgettable part of her life.
In her farewell letter, Mittal recalled growing up in humble circumstances and aspiring to build a successful life. She described how she worked hard to study at IIT Delhi and IIM Bangalore, after which she secured a job in London. However, despite achieving what she had once considered success, she felt something was missing.
Living away from India, she said, made her realise that her education, confidence and the ability to stand tall anywhere in the world were ultimately gifts of the country she belonged to. This sense of responsibility brought her back to India, where she eventually had the opportunity to join the IAS.
Looking back at her administrative career, Mittal said every posting taught her a different lesson. Deoria, she said, taught her that standing up for what is right is not merely a choice but a responsibility. Mirzapur taught her that the word “impossible” is often only an opinion rather than an established reality.
She also recalled her association with Vindhyavasini Dham, saying that sitting at the feet of Maa Vindhyavasini made her understand that true strength does not come from an official position but from divine grace and the trust placed in an officer by the people.
Mittal said the most profound realisation of her career was that many of the dreams she had once pursued for herself had already been fulfilled. It was then that her focus shifted towards fulfilling the aspirations of the people she served.
She recalled finding the deepest satisfaction in seemingly simple but life-changing moments—when a family received land rights for the first time, when a differently-abled person gained an opportunity to live with dignity, or when a farmer finally received water for his fields.
आज मैंने 13 वर्षों की अविस्मरणीय यात्रा को अपनी इच्छा से विराम देते हुए IAS से त्यागपत्र दे दिया है।
साधारण परिवेश में पलते हुए मैंने एक अच्छे, सफल जीवन का सपना देखा था। दिन-रात एक कर IIT दिल्ली और IIM बैंगलोर से पढ़ने के बाद, लंदन में नौकरी लग गयी। पर ‘सब कुछ’ पा लेने पर भी कुछ… pic.twitter.com/4VRXpK8nu8
— Divya Mittal (@divyamittal_IAS) August 30, 2026
“Behind every government file is a person,” she wrote, reflecting on one of the central lessons of her career. For her, ensuring that person’s dignity was at the heart of what justice and public service truly meant.
Mittal also acknowledged that she had initially believed she had entered public service to give something to society. Over time, she said, she realised that she had received far more than she had given, and the debt of gratitude towards the people had only grown deeper.
She credited the colleagues, officers and staff who worked alongside her for much of what she was able to accomplish. Their support, she said, gave her the strength to continue even during periods when she was physically and emotionally exhausted.
Among the memories that will stay with her, Mittal singled out an emotional moment involving an elderly woman from Lahuriya Dih, who witnessed water reaching her village for the first time. The woman said nothing but placed her trembling hands on Mittal’s head and blessed her.
Mittal said that although she was leaving behind the position she had held, the warmth of that blessing would remain with her for the rest of her life.
Her farewell message ended on a deeply personal note of gratitude, with Mittal saying that the dream given to her by the soil of India would continue to remain with her even after leaving the IAS.
After 13 years in public administration, Divya Mittal’s resignation marks the end of one chapter of her career, but her farewell letter portrays public service not simply as a profession, but as a journey shaped by people, responsibility, dignity, gratitude and an enduring connection with the country.