Divya Mittal, the 2013-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre who became widely known for bringing piped drinking water to a remote village in Mirzapur, has resigned from the civil services after 13 years, reported The Indian Express. The former Uttar Pradesh cadre officer recorded more than 50,000 search queries on Google in the last 24 hours, with users searching for details about her resignation, career and her tenure as Mirzapur District Magistrate.
The 42-year-old officer announced her decision on Sunday through a social media post, saying she was ready to “move on” after a career that taught her more through the people she served than what she felt she had given back.
“Today, I have voluntarily stepped away from an unforgettable 13-year journey by resigning from the IAS,” the 2013-batch IAS officer said in a social media post.
Mittal joined the IAS on September 2, 2013. During her career, she held postings in Meerut, Gonda, Kanpur Nagar, Bareilly and Sant Kabir Nagar. She served as the District Magistrate of Mirzapur from September 2022 to September 2023 and later became the District Magistrate of Deoria in July 2024. Her last government assignment was as Special Secretary in the Revenue Department in Lucknow, a position she took up in May.
From London derivatives trader to IAS officer
Before joining the civil services, Mittal studied at IIT Delhi and IIM Bangalore and went on to work as an exotic derivatives trader in London. Despite building a career abroad, she said living away from India made her feel that something was missing.
“My education, my confidence, the strength to walk tall anywhere in the world — all of it was a debt owed to this soil. That debt had to be repaid,” she wrote.
She subsequently returned to India and joined the IAS, beginning a 13-year administrative career across several districts and departments in Uttar Pradesh.
Divya Mittal’s Mirzapur tenure and Lahuriya Dah village
Mittal’s tenure as Mirzapur DM became one of the most notable phases of her career. During her time in the district, she worked for months to bring piped drinking water to Lahuriya Dah, a remote hilly village whose residents had long relied on water tankers.
Recalling the moment water finally reached the village, Mittal wrote about an elderly woman who did not say anything but touched her head with trembling hands and blessed her.
“The position may be left behind today, but that touch will never leave me in this lifetime,” Mittal wrote.
She said her experience in Mirzapur taught her that “impossible” is not a fact, but simply an opinion. Her farewell message also mentioned other instances from her administrative career, including helping families secure land rights, enabling a differently-abled person to live with dignity and ensuring farmers received water for their fields.
“Behind every government file is a person, and upholding their dignity is what justice truly means,” she wrote.
Why did Divya Mittal resign from IAS?
Mittal did not provide a specific reason for her resignation from the IAS. Instead, her farewell note focused on her experiences in public service and the lessons she said she had learnt from the people she worked for.
“I was a fool to think I had come to give something. The truth is, I received the most, and that debt only grew deeper,” she wrote.
She also acknowledged the role played by people, officers, colleagues and staff throughout her career. According to Mittal, their support and trust helped her continue even when she was “exhausted or broken”.
“People were happier for my joy than I was myself,” she said.
In her final message, Mittal indicated that she now wanted to focus on the aspirations she had for the people she had served.
“Now it was time to live the dreams I saw for my people,” she wrote.
What happened after her Mirzapur posting?
Mittal was transferred from Mirzapur on September 1, 2023, following which she was placed on the waiting list from September 4, 2023, to February 1, 2024. She was then appointed CEO of the Uttar Pradesh Rural Road Development Agency.
She later served as the District Magistrate of Deoria from July 2024 before moving to the Revenue Department in Lucknow as Special Secretary in May.
Her Mirzapur tenure continued to remain associated with her public profile, particularly because of her work in Lahuriya Dah. She also developed a distinctive approach to communicating with citizens, using social media to highlight government schemes, administrative initiatives and respond to public complaints.
What will Divya Mittal do after leaving IAS?
Mittal has not specified exactly what she plans to do after resigning from the IAS. However, sources cited in the material indicate that she may pursue academics and book writing.
Her resignation marks the end of a 13-year stint in the civil services, but her work in Mirzapur, particularly the effort to provide piped water to Lahuriya Dah, remains one of the defining episodes of her administrative career.