Jammu and Kashmir implements administrative reshuffle and new officer rules

The Jammu and Kashmir government has announced a major administrative reshuffle and updated examination rules for civil service officers. Shailendra Kumar, a 1995-batch IAS officer, has been given interim charge of the Chief Secretary post until Sajjan Singh Yadav formally joins the administration. Kumar will maintain his current responsibilities in the Finance and Agriculture Production departments during this period.

Additionally, the General Administration Department has replaced the 2000 probation and departmental examination rules for Junior Scale officers of the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service. Under the new 2026 rules, probationers must now pass seven mandatory examination papers, each worth 100 marks, with a minimum requirement of 50 percent in every paper. This replaces the previous system that allowed for an optional paper. The new framework directly links examination results to annual increments and service confirmation.