SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has constituted a four-tier institutional mechanism, including a UT-level mission, steering committee, district circular economy cells and urban local body (ULB)-level committees, to oversee the implementation of the Jammu and Kashmir Circular Economy Policy, 2026.
The decision was issued through Government Order No. 1700-JK(GAD) of 2026, dated October 30, by the General Administration Department.
The Jammu and Kashmir Circular Economy Mission, headed by the Chief Secretary as its chairperson, will serve as the apex body for overseeing the policy’s implementation. The Administrative Secretary of the Jal Shakti Department has been designated as its Member Secretary, while administrative secretaries of various departments, divisional commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir, municipal commissioners of Srinagar and Jammu, the Member Secretary of the J&K Pollution Control Committee and the Mission Director of SBM-U will serve as members.
The mission will meet at least once every six months to review the policy’s implementation, assess progress towards employment, enterprise and livelihood targets, and address major financial, administrative and operational bottlenecks. It will also guide inter-departmental coordination and oversee the implementation of the Circular, Circular+ and Circular++ frameworks.
A Steering Committee, headed by the Administrative Secretary of the Housing and Urban Development Department, has also been constituted to monitor implementation at the operational level. The Commissioner of Jammu Municipal Corporation will be its Member Secretary, while the Commissioner of Srinagar Municipal Corporation and representatives of various departments, including Finance, Planning, Rural Development, Agriculture, Tourism, Jal Shakti, Industries, Forest, Skill Development and Information Technology, will be members.
The committee will meet at least once every quarter and review implementation progress, finalise guidelines and standard operating procedures, examine detailed project reports and assess proposals involving public-private partnerships, viability gap funding, extended producer responsibility and user charges.
It will also monitor digital reporting, job creation, livelihood integration and enterprise development, besides submitting half-yearly progress reports to the apex mission.
At the district level, Circular Economy Cells will be headed by the respective Deputy Commissioners, with Deputy Commissioners or designated officers serving as Member Secretaries. Representatives of urban local bodies, the Rural Development Department, Pollution Control Committee, Agriculture, Horticulture, Industries, Tourism, Jal Shakti, JKRLM/UMEED and skill development institutions will form part of these cells.
The district bodies will meet at least once every quarter and prepare district-level project proposals, identify land and facilitate local clearances. They will also coordinate waste-management activities across urban and rural areas, monitor waste segregation and processing, facilitate the participation of self-help groups and waste workers, and submit quarterly reports to the Housing and Urban Development Department.
At the ULB level, committees will be chaired by the Chief Executive Officer or Executive Officer of the respective urban local body. Their members will include sanitary officers, engineering and accounts or revenue representatives, ward officers, representatives of self-help groups and, wherever feasible, registered waste and sanitation workers.
These committees will be responsible for ensuring waste segregation at source, identifying bulk waste generators, facilitating the collection and processing of dry and wet waste, implementing user charges and maintaining records of waste, workers, enterprises and facilities. They will also coordinate public awareness activities, address service-related grievances and submit monthly reports to the Housing and Urban Development Department.
The government order states that all departments and agencies will implement the policy within their existing statutory and administrative mandates. No expenditure can be incurred without the approval of the competent authority, while all projects must comply with applicable laws, environmental standards, financial rules, procurement procedures and statutory clearance requirements.
It further clarifies that the constitution of these institutional bodies will not, by itself, create any new posts, financial liabilities or contractual obligations.
The Housing and Urban Development Department has been authorised to issue further clarifications, guidelines and amendments required for operationalising the order and will submit an annual implementation report to the government.
