The resignation of Uttar Pradesh-cadre IAS officer Divya Mittal after 13 years in the civil services has sparked widespread interest, with her journey from IIT Delhi and IIM Bangalore to a high-paying job in London and then the IAS drawing renewed attention.A 2013-batch IAS officer, Mittal announced on August 30 that she had voluntarily resigned from the Indian Administrative Service. She was serving as Special Secretary in the Uttar Pradesh Revenue Department at the time. Her resignation, however, is still pending formal approval, which will be decided by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs after a recommendation from the Uttar Pradesh government.Who is Divya Mittal?Divya Mittal is a 2013-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre who served in several key administrative positions in the state.She studied engineering at IIT Delhi before completing her MBA at IIM Bangalore. After her studies, Mittal worked in London with JP Morgan. She eventually left her corporate career abroad and returned to India to prepare for the UPSC Civil Services Examination.Mittal cleared the civil services examination on her second attempt and secured an All India Rank of 68.Her career in the Uttar Pradesh administration included postings as District Magistrate of Deoria, Mirzapur and Sant Kabir Nagar.Why did Divya Mittal resign from the IAS?Mittal has described her resignation as a carefully considered personal decision. In an interaction after announcing her resignation, she said the decision was driven by her priorities, interests and family, rather than any sudden trigger or external pressure.She described the IAS as “merely one chapter” of her life and indicated that leaving the service did not mean giving up her larger ambitions.In her resignation note, Mittal reflected on her 13 years in public service and said she had learnt more from the people she served than she believed she had given them.She recalled moments involving families receiving land rights, people with disabilities gaining dignity and farmers getting access to water. She also reflected on the importance of recognising the person behind every government file.There has been speculation about what she plans to do next, including a possible move towards writing or academia. However, Mittal has not announced a specific new career or role, and reports should not present such possibilities as confirmed plans.Divya Mittal’s work in MirzapurOne of the most widely remembered chapters of Mittal’s administrative career came during her tenure as District Magistrate of Mirzapur.She was associated with efforts to provide piped drinking water to Lahuria Dah, a remote village where residents had faced severe water shortages and depended on tanker supplies.The project became a significant example of her field-focused approach to administration. Mittal later recalled an elderly woman blessing her after seeing water reach the village, describing the moment as more meaningful than the position she held.From London’s finance world to the IASMittal’s career path has also contributed to the public interest surrounding her resignation.Before joining the civil services, she had built a career in London’s financial sector. She worked with JP Morgan after completing her education at IIT Delhi and IIM Bangalore.Despite having a successful professional career abroad, she returned to India and pursued the UPSC examination.Her decision to now leave the IAS after 13 years has therefore been viewed as another major career transition in an already unconventional professional journey.Who is Divya Mittal’s husband?Divya Mittal is married to Gagandeep Singh Dhillon, who is also an IIT Delhi and IIM Bangalore alumnus and a former civil servant.Dhillon resigned from the civil services in 2022 and later moved into the private sector. His own decision to leave government service has attracted attention following Mittal’s resignation.What happens next?Mittal’s resignation is not yet officially final. The resignation will require the prescribed government approval process, with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs taking the final decision following a recommendation from the Uttar Pradesh government.For now, her resignation marks a significant transition for an officer whose career has combined elite education, a successful international corporate career and more than a decade in public administration.Her decision has also prompted a broader conversation about why senior civil servants choose to leave government service despite having secure and influential careers.