At least a dozen IAS officers have switched tracks since December 2025. 

Why are civil servants choosing to leave, especially when they could be at the peak of their career? The resignation of Divya Mittal, a 2013-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, has brought the question into sharp focus. 

It adds to a list of officers who have opted for resignation, voluntary retirement, or a career outside government.

“The bright minds in civil services feel they have a better chance of fulfilling their career aspirations outside the government," a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and former Director General (DG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police told The Secretariat.

Greener Pastures?

Who would have thought that after cracking the prestigious Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination, officers would leave government service well before retirement!

The retired IPS officer says leaving the civil services is not new, but points to two distinct phases. "The first is before liberalisation in the 1990s, and the second is the post-liberalisation phase,” he said.

“Earlier, there was very little opportunity outside the government. At that time, only political considerations inspired an officer to leave the service,” he told The Secretariat, citing the example of Bihar cadre IAS officer Yashwant Sinha who joined politics, going on to become Finance Minister. “But since economic liberalisation kicked in, the size of the economy has expanded manifold and also got integrated with the global economy. This has led to a huge expansion in terms of opportunity.” 

An IAS officer’s basic monthly pay ranges from ₹56,100 at the time of entry (Level 10 of the pay matrix) to a fixed ₹2,50,000 at the top, Level 18, as Cabinet Secretary.

Over and above, they are paid Dearness Allowance (DA) as applicable, official accommodation or House Rent Allowance (HRA), official car, domestic help and Leave Travel Allowance (LTA).

Now contrast this with what an ex-IAS officer can get in the corporate sector. She or he would typically command annual compensation packages ranging from ₹50 lakh to over ₹5 crore, depending on seniority, network, and role. That means a monthly package ranging from ₹4 lakh to over ₹41 lakh.

Come Elections

The trend is more evident when elections are around the corner. In Uttar Pradesh, where assembly polls are due in seven to eight months, two IAS officers have quit in two months. 

Rakesh Verma, a 2013-batch state cadre IAS officer, has taken the political route after taking voluntary retirement (VRS). He joined the Congress and formally entered the party recently at the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters in Lucknow.

Verma said public servants today are often required to perform tasks unrelated to their core responsibilities and argued that education should be central to efforts to strengthen the country.

Mittal has not yet disclosed her plans after leaving the service. Sources close to her indicate that she too might take the plunge into politics. 

Earlier this year, Rinku Singh Rahi, a 2022-batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, had also resigned, citing a prolonged lack of meaningful work. He subsequently withdrew his decision and continues to serve in the bureaucracy.

A Wider Pattern 

Rajiv Agarwal, a 1993-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre officer, moved into the corporate world and is now senior vice-president at Samsung India and Southwest Asia, after earlier stints with Uber and Facebook. 

Amod Kumar, a 1995-batch officer, took voluntary retirement and is reportedly working in the corporate sector, where he has been described as a voice on digital identity and digital governance.

Former 2003-batch IAS officer Vikas Gothalwal is now an independent adviser on public policy, health systems, and governance. Vidya Bhushan, a 2008-batch officer, who also opted for voluntary retirement, has moved into large-scale renewable energy and grid infrastructure projects in the UK and other international markets.

Abhishek Singh, a 2011-batch officer, left the bureaucracy to pursue a career in acting, singing, songwriting, and music.

Other officers who have left or sought to leave the service in recent years include Anamika Singh, Mohammad Mustafa, Rigzin Samphael, Renuka Kumar, Juthika Patankar, and R.P. Singh.

Giving Up Influence

A former senior bureaucrat who moved successfully into the corporate sector said the IAS continues to offer enormous opportunities to make a difference, and leaving the service means giving up the institutional identity and influence that come with it.

The phenomenon is not confined to the IAS or Uttar Pradesh. 

Across states, senior civil servants have moved into politics and other professions. Former Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president K. Annamalai, for instance, left the IPS to enter politics.

The departures do not necessarily signal the decline of the civil service. But they do point to a changing professional landscape in which talented officers have more choices than ever before.