IAS officer Divya Mittal resigns, says true power comes not from any post but people

Lucknow: IAS officer Divya Mittal, a 2013-batch officer, announced her resignation from the service on Sunday, bringing an end to what she described as an “unforgettable” 13-year journey in public service.

Currently serving as Special Secretary in the Revenue Department, Mittal shared an emotional message on social media, saying that although she had left her post, she would not give up on the dream that her country had given her.

Reflecting on her years in administration and the love, respect and trust she received from people, Mittal, in a post on X, said, “Having grown up in humble surroundings, I had dreamed of a good, successful life. After burning the midnight oil to study at IIT Delhi and IIM Bangalore, I landed a job in London. But even after attaining ‘everything,’ something still felt incomplete. Being away from my country weighed on me.”

“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. I wanted my handprints on the bricks that would build the India I had dreamed of. So I returned, and was fortunate enough to become an IAS officer,” she added.

Recalling her various postings during her administrative career, Mittal said she had the opportunity to contribute in many ways while also learning valuable lessons from the people and places she served.

She wrote that Deoria taught her that standing up for what is right was not a choice but a responsibility, while her experience in Mirzapur taught her that “impossible” was not a fact but simply an opinion.

“I learned that true power comes not from any position, but from her grace and the trust of the people. The greatest lesson of all was that the dreams I had once seen for myself had already come true; now it was time to live the dreams I saw for my people,” she said.

Mittal said the “true solace” of her life in public service could be found in the eyes of families who received land rights for the first time, persons with disabilities who were given an opportunity to live with dignity, and farmers whose fields finally received water.

“Walking alongside their struggles, I learned that behind every government file is a person, and upholding their dignity is what justice truly means,” she added.

She said she had initially been mistaken in believing that she had entered public service to give something to others, when in reality she had received far more than she could have imagined.

“I was foolish to think I had come to give something. The truth is, I received the most, and that debt only grew,” Mittal wrote.

“People were happier for my joy than I was myself. They looked at me with the same trust even when I was exhausted or broken. And it was that which gave me the courage to keep going,” she said.

“I received so much love, so much respect, so much belonging, that my lap overflowed. And a huge share of credit for this goes to those colleagues, officers, and staff who worked shoulder to shoulder with me and stood firm by my side,” she added.

Recalling one particular moment that stayed with her, Mittal spoke about an elderly woman from the hill of Lahuriya Dah who blessed her after seeing water reach her village for the first time.

“I may have left my post today, but that touch will remain with me for life,” she said.

“And neither will the dream that this land of our country has given me. It will remain the same. Not a single detail will change,” she added.

Divya Mittal is an IAS officer of the 2013 batch and is currently posted as Special Secretary in the Revenue Department. She had resigned as Deoria District Magistrate on May 6.

IANS