SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has notified a new set of rules governing the probation period, departmental examination and confirmation of officers appointed to the Junior Scale of the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) through the Combined Competitive Examination.
The General Administration Department (GAD), through a notification issued on October 28, 2026, has introduced the Jammu and Kashmir Combined Competitive Services (Probation and Examination) Rules, 2026, replacing the existing rules notified in 2000.
Issued under the powers conferred by the proviso to Article 309 of the Constitution of India, the new rules have come into force with immediate effect.
Under the revised framework, directly recruited JKAS officers will have to undergo a probation period of two years and qualify a prescribed examination before becoming eligible for confirmation in the service.
The rules make it mandatory for every probationer to pass all seven examination papers, securing at least 50 per cent marks in each paper. The examination will be conducted by the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC), as far as practicable, twice a year at venues and times decided by the Commission.
The examination will comprise seven papers, each carrying 100 marks, taking the total to 700 marks. Candidates will be permitted to consult bare Acts, rules, regulations and manuals during the written examination, provided these contain only the relevant legal provisions without annotations.
The notification also lays down provisions governing increments during the probation period. An officer will be entitled to the first annual increment after completing one year of probation. However, the second increment will remain withheld until the officer has satisfactorily completed probation and passed the prescribed examination.
It further provides that an officer will not be eligible for confirmation in the service without qualifying the examination. However, the Government may, under exceptional circumstances and for good and sufficient reasons recorded in writing, grant exemption from the departmental examination and declare an officer’s probation complete without requiring the examination to be cleared.
The rules provide three regular chances and one mercy chance to every probationer to qualify the examination.
The Government may also allow an additional opportunity where it is satisfied that an officer missed an examination attempt due to circumstances beyond his or her control. Such permission will be granted through an order, notwithstanding other provisions of the rules.
Applications for appearing in the examination will have to be submitted to the Public Service Commission through the concerned officer’s Administrative Department. The Commission will separately prescribe the procedure for conducting the examination.
The notification specifies that probationers covered by the new rules will be exempted from passing any other departmental examination prescribed for the feeding services.
Seven papers covering administration, law and governance
The annexure to the notification outlines a comprehensive syllabus divided into seven papers, covering public administration, Jammu and Kashmir’s socio-economic profile, service regulations, revenue administration, Government schemes, social welfare and the legal framework governing governance and public order.
Paper I, titled Management and Public Administration, carries 100 marks and is divided into two sections of 50 marks each.
The management component covers organisational behaviour and design, human resource management, leadership, motivation, performance management, team dynamics, communication, management information systems, emerging technologies, stress management and work-life balance. It also includes information, education and communication relating to Government schemes, communication strategies, social media marketing and persuasion techniques.
The public administration section covers the evolution and scope of Indian administration, comparative public administration, administrative behaviour, ethics and accountability, administrative law, planning and priorities, district administration, local governance, civil services, recruitment, training and capacity building, pressure groups and public policy.
Paper II focuses on a comprehensive understanding of Jammu and Kashmir, including its geography, economy, society and infrastructure.
The syllabus covers the Union Territory’s physical and demographic features, economic geography, agriculture, horticulture and tourism, including religious and destination tourism. It also examines the impact of these sectors on employment and the economy, besides society, culture, languages, ecology, forests, environmental issues and infrastructure development in roads and railways.
Paper III deals with service rules and office procedures. It includes the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services Regulations, 1956, the Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1956, Government Employees Conduct Rules, 1971, Civil Services Leave Rules, 1979, Travel Allowance Rules and Medical Attendance-cum-Allowance Rules, 1990.
It also covers the Leave Travel Concession Rules, 2019, relevant constitutional provisions under Articles 226, 309, 310 and 311, departmental enquiry legislation, the Commission of Enquiries Act, 1952, and public service delivery mechanisms.
The syllabus further incorporates the Right to Information Act, 2005, the Jammu and Kashmir Public Services Guarantee Act, 2011, grievance redressal mechanisms and office management systems, including the Manual of Office Procedure, e-Office and SPARROW portal.
Other topics include the electronic Human Resource Management System (e-HRMS), Property Return System portal, General Financial Rules, procurement procedures, Government e-Marketplace, digital accounting platforms, information technology, cyber security, artificial intelligence, blockchain, DigiLocker and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
Paper IV focuses on revenue laws and land administration in Jammu and Kashmir.
It includes legislation governing property transfer and registration, land revenue, acquisition and requisition of immovable property, evacuee property, land grants, agricultural reforms, migrant immovable property and compensation for land acquisition.
The syllabus also covers the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1988, domicile certificate rules, the Jammu and Kashmir Partition Rules, 1970, Chowkidari Act, Lambardari Act and other laws governing land administration.
It incorporates revenue-related standing orders dealing with harvest inspection, mutation records, records of rights and crop forecasts.
The paper also includes settlement and modernisation of revenue records, the Hidayat Bandobast, Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme, Jammu and Kashmir Land Passbook Rules, 2022, SVAMITVA scheme, Unique Land Parcel Identification Number and the Jammu and Kashmir Abadideh Survey and Records Operation Regulation, 2022.
Paper V covers Government schemes and policies relating to development, employment generation and industrial growth.
The development component includes the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, Municipal Act, 2000, Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), Swachh Bharat Mission, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.
It also includes the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana, Startup India Seed Fund Scheme, Holistic Agriculture Development Programme, Viksit Bharat@2047, Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme, Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission and Yuva Udyami Vikas Abhiyan.
The industrial development component covers the Make in India programme, Jammu and Kashmir Industrial Policy 2021-30, Startup Policy 2024-27, Industrial Land Allotment Policy 2021-30, Industrial Relations Code, 2020, and the Policy for Promotion of Foreign Investment in Jammu and Kashmir, 2022.
Paper VI deals with social welfare, human rights, social security and community protection laws and schemes.
Its syllabus includes the Reservation Act, 2005, and amendments, the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, PM POSHAN, Mission Shakti, Mission Vatsalya and various pension and scholarship schemes.
Other areas include legislation relating to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the Right to Education Act, 2009, child protection, senior citizens’ welfare, construction workers’ welfare, the National Health Mission and Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PMJAY/SEHAT).
The paper also covers the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, Women and Children Institutions (Licensing) Act, 1956, and the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005.
Human rights legislation, including the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, and the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955, along with the Forest Rights Act, 2006, and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, also form part of the syllabus.
Paper VII focuses on the legal and regulatory framework governing administration and public order in Jammu and Kashmir.
It covers the Constitution of India, Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, adaptation orders and Transaction of Business Rules.
The law and order component includes the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, Civil Procedure Code, 1908, Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978, Arms Act, 1959, and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.
Other legislation includes the Explosive Substances Act, 1908, Prevention of Blackmarketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act, 1980, and Essential Services Maintenance Act, 1981.
The paper further covers taxation laws, including the Jammu and Kashmir Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, Central GST Act, Integrated GST Act, GST Compensation to States Act, Jammu and Kashmir Excise Act and Stamp Act.
The regulatory component includes the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the functioning of regulatory bodies such as the Real Estate Regulatory Authority, Water Resources Regulation Authority, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, State Election Commission and Central Vigilance Commission.
The notification, issued by Commissioner/Secretary to the Government M Raju, IAS, states that the Jammu and Kashmir Combined Competitive Services (Probation and Examination) Rules, 2000, issued vide SRO 130 of 2000, along with all other existing rules relating to matters covered by the new framework, stand superseded.
The new rules apply specifically to persons appointed to the Junior Scale of the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service through the Combined Competitive Examination.
By bringing probation, examination and confirmation requirements under a revised framework, the Government has laid down a uniform qualification mechanism for directly recruited Junior Scale administrative officers.
