The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) under the Union Government has finally approved the voluntary retirement (VRS) of senior IAS officer Anamika Singh (IAS:2004:UP). A formal order is likely to be issued within a day by the Uttar Pradesh government. It will come into effect on January 30. She would have served until 2038, but she decided to leave the service prematurely, as she was reportedly unhappy with not receiving a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the state government needed for central deputation.
Currently posted as Food Commissioner, Anamika Singh had applied for voluntary retirement (VRS), which was made public in December and has now been approved by both the state and central governments.
According to sources, she was appointed Divisional Commissioner of Bareilly in September, but her transfer was later revoked. Anamika Singh reportedly wanted to join the Central Govt on deputation and had even sought a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the state government. However, she was denied the NOC, leaving her dissatisfied with the job.
Sources in the recruitment department say that Anamika Singh applied for VRS only after being denied permission to join the central government. Anamika Singh is known as a strong officer with a clean image. Her VRS decision is being considered a significant development in the UP bureaucratic circles.
Though Anamika Singh has cited family reasons for taking VRS officially, the real reason is believed to be the denial of central deputation. But it is not that she has never been on central deputation. The fact is, she had returned to the Uttar Pradesh cadre in May 2021 after completing nearly eight years on central deputation, where she served in the Department of School Education & Literacy and later at NITI Aayog. Following her return, she was posted as Secretary of the Women and Child Development Department.
In June 2025, she was assigned charge as CEO of the Uttar Pradesh Clean Air Management Project Authority, along with the post of Secretary of the Forest, Environment & Climate Change Department. In September 2025, she was transferred twice in quick succession—first as Divisional Commissioner, Bareilly, and within days, as Commissioner, Food and Civil Supplies, where she is still serving.
In December, the state government approved her VRS application and forwarded it to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
This incident has also brought renewed attention to the procedures governing deputation between the central and state governments.
Join Us on WhatsApp