Uttar Pradesh IAS officer Divya Mittal quits after 13 years
Divya Mittal, a 2013 batch officer in Uttar Pradesh, has left the Indian Administrative Service, drawing letters and comment from politicians.
The resignation
Divya Mittal, an officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) from the 2013 batch on the Uttar Pradesh cadre, has resigned. She was serving as Special Secretary in the state government's Revenue Department, a post she was appointed to on 6 May this year, according to BBC News Hindi.
She announced the decision in a long post on the social media platform X. BBC News Hindi reported that the post did not say why she was leaving. Livehindustan.com reported that the resignation letter reached the state appointments department on Monday and that it gave family and personal reasons.
In the post she wrote that she had, of her own will, brought a pause to an unforgettable 13 year journey. She also wrote that she had been foolish to think she had come to give something, because in truth she had received the most, and that she had been given so much love and respect that her lap was full.
Career and postings
Born in 1983, Mittal studied engineering at IIT Delhi and management at IIM Bengaluru, and earlier worked in London, BBC News Hindi reported. After training in Mussoorie she entered the bureaucracy as Joint Magistrate in Meerut, and was Chief Development Officer in Gonda early in her career.
She served as District Magistrate and Collector in Sant Kabir Nagar, Mirzapur and Deoria. Livehindustan.com reported that she was moved out of the Deoria District Magistrate post in May to the comparatively less important Special Secretary role in the Revenue Department, and that she had been described as uneasy since then.
She remained active on social media while in service, giving tips to students preparing for the IAS entrance examination, discussing books, and addressing people through videos as a District Magistrate.
Political reaction and next steps
Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai has written to Governor Anandiben Patel asking her to raise the matter with the central government so that honest officers are respected and their morale is not weakened, livehindustan.com reported. Rai said 13 IAS officers have either resigned or taken voluntary retirement since 2017 under the current Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state.
Rai said an IAS officer works for the constitution and the public rather than for any political party. Akhilesh Yadav, a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, posted on social media calling corruption a major issue facing officers, without referring to any specific incident, BBC News Hindi reported. Navbharat Times reported comment from Devoleena Bhattacharjee, who said honest people are always treated as a joke in this country.
According to livehindustan.com, sources said the resignation will be sent to the central Department of Personnel and Training, whose minister is the Prime Minister, and the file will go to Rashtrapati Bhavan because the President is the appointing authority for IAS officers. The final decision has not yet been reported. BBC News Hindi noted that several senior officers in Uttar Pradesh have left their jobs in recent years.
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