Kirthiga Reddy was Facebook's first employee in India.

Highlights Facebook India chief says she is stepping down and returning to US

Decision comes days after TRAI banned differential mobile data pricing

TRAI's decision meant there was no place for Facebook's 'Free Basics'

When my family relocated to India, we knew that we would move back to the US some day. It’s a bittersweet moment to... Posted by Kirthiga Reddy on Friday, February 12, 2016

Facebook's India head, Kirthiga Reddy, has said she is stepping down and plans to return to the US where she has "begun to explore new opportunities at Facebook back at Menlo Park" in California.Her announcement - made on Facebook - comes at the end of a week which began with a huge setback to the social network giant with India banning internet providers from charging users different rates for different sorts of content. The decision means that Facebook's free internet program, Free Basics, has been rejected here.Ms Reddy, Facebook's first employee in India, said her family's intent was always to return to the US and her children's schooling makes this the right time to head back.Clarifying Ms Reddy's involvement in the Free Basics program, a Facebook spokesperson said, "As she had planned for some time, Kirthiga Reddy is moving back to the US to work with the teams at the headquarters. During her time in India, Kirthiga was not involved in our Free Basics efforts."Ms Reddy said it will be "business as-usual over the next 6-12 months" and she will help find a successor over the period."Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg had championed Free Basics which he said would deliver internet services to lakhs of rural Indians. The scheme offered pared-down internet access to Facebook messaging services and content from Facebook's partners at no charge.Critics including start-up moguls and IIT professors said that it violates net neutrality or the principle that all websites should be treated as equal.As the campaign for net neutrality surged, Facebook ran an elaborate media campaign with hoardings and front-page ads which was slammed by telecom regulator TRAI.