In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 181 read with Section 91 4 of the Electricity Act

REGD. No. D. L.-33004/99 The Gazette of India CG-JK-E-19082026-275590 EXTRAORDINARY PART III—Section 4 PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY No. 502] NEW DELHI, THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2026/SHRAVAN 22, 1948 JOINT ELECTRICITY REGULATORY COMMISSION (For The Union Territory Of Jammu & Kashmir And Union Territory Of Ladakh) NOTIFICATION Jammu, the 24th June, 2026 No. JERC-JKL/Reg/2026/02.— In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 181 read with Section 91(4) of the Electricity Act, 2003 (36 of 2003), and all other powers enabling it in this behalf, and after previous publication, the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission for the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh hereby makes the following amendments to the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission for the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh (Appointment of Consultants) Regulations, 2023, namely: 1. Short Title and Commencement 1.1 These Regulations may be called the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission for the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh (Appointment of Consultants) (First Amendment) Regulations, 2026. 1.2 These Regulations shall come into force from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette. 2. Substitution of Regulation 3 (Scope of Work) Regulation 3 of the Principal Regulations shall be substituted with the following: 3. Scope of Work (1) Consultants may be engaged for all or any of the following purposes, namely: (a) Providing expert advice on regulatory, legal, financial, technical, economic, administrative or policy matters relevant to the functions of the Commission; (b) Conducting studies, research, benchmarking analysis, data analytics, regulatory impact assessment, or any other specialized study required for effective discharge of statutory functions; (c) Assisting the Commission in tariff determination, True-up proceedings, licensing matters, compliance monitoring, drafting of regulations, orders and policy documents; (d) Performing tasks requiring experience and qualifications not available within the Commission or where engagement of a consultant is considered more efficacious in terms of quality, time or cost; (e) Assisting the Commission where there has been an increase in the quantum of work or where regular posts could not be filled due to administrative or procedural constraints; (f) Providing advisory support in matters relating to information technology systems, digital transformation, regulatory data management, and modernization of Commission processes; (g) Any other specialized function which the Commission considers necessary for effective discharge of its statutory responsibilities under the Act. (2) The engagement of Consultants shall be: (a) Need-based, assignment-specific, and for a defined duration; (b) Purely contractual in nature; (c) Not construed as creation of any regular or sanctioned post; (d) Not a substitute for regular staffing requirements of the Commission. (3) The terms of engagement shall specify deliverables, timelines, reporting structure, and measurable performance parameters. 3. Amendment to Regulation 4 (Period of Appointment) In Regulation 4.1, for the words "four years", the words “five years” shall be substituted. 4. Substitution of Regulation 5 (Categorization of Consultants) Regulation 5 shall be substituted as follows: 5. Categorization of Consultants Consultants may be engaged in the following categories: (a) Institutional Consultants; (b) Individual Consultants; (c) Professional Experts; (d) Staff Consultants; (e) Consultants engaged under domain-specific classification as may be notified by the Commission. 5. Amendment to Regulation 7.3 Regulation 7.3 of the Principal Regulations shall be substituted with the following: 7.3 Categorization of Individual Consultants (1) Individual Consultants shall be categorized based on experience, domain expertise and functional requirements of the Commission, as under: +-------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | Junior Consultant | Up to 3 years of relevant experience | +-------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | Consultant | 3 to 10 years of relevant experience | +-------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | Senior Consultant | 10 to 15 years of relevant experience | +-------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | Advisor | 15 years and above relevant experience | +-------------------+-----------------------------------------+ Note: There shall be no upper age limit for appointment of Advisors under Individual Consultant category. (2) The educational qualification for Individual Consultants shall be relevant to the domain of engagement including Engineering, Law, Finance, Economics, Management, Information Technology or any other discipline as may be specified in the notice inviting applications. (3) The Commission may prescribe additional professional qualifications, certifications or domain-specific expertise depending upon the nature of assignment. (4) The Commission may, for reasons to be recorded in writing, relax specific qualification requirements in exceptional cases where the overall expertise and experience of the candidate justify such relaxation. 6. Insertion of New Regulation 9A After Regulation 9 of the Principal Regulations, the following Regulation shall be inserted, namely: 9A. Consultants Engaged under Domain-Specific Classification (1) The Commission may engage Consultants under domain-specific classification having regard to the functional requirements of the Commission and the nature of assignment. (2) Such domain-specific engagement may include, but shall not be limited to, the following domains: (a) Technical/Engineering; (b) Legal; (c) Finance and Accounts; (d) Economics and Tariff Analysis; (e) Information Technology and Data Management; (f) Regulatory Affairs and Policy Research; (g) Administration and Establishment; (h) Any other specialized domain as may be determined by the Commission. (3) The qualification, experience, fee structure, tenure and other conditions of engagement for such domain-specific Consultants shall be specified in the notice inviting applications, consistent with these Regulations. (4) The engagement of Consultants under this Regulation shall not be construed as creation of a regular post and shall be purely contractual in nature. (5) Engagement under this Regulation shall be subject to other provisions of these Regulations. 7. Insertion of New Regulation 13A (Consultancy Evaluation Committee) After Regulation 13, the following shall be inserted: 13A. Consultancy Evaluation Committee (CEC) (1) The Commission shall constitute a Consultancy Evaluation Committee comprising the Secretary and such Director(s) or officer(s) as may be nominated. (2) Where the consultant proposed to be engaged is equivalent to Senior Consultant or Advisor level, the Committee shall be headed by a Member of the Commission. (3) The Committee shall evaluate applications, interact with candidates and recommend suitable names along with proposed fee for approval of the Commission. 8. Amendment to Regulation 17 (Individual Consultants) In Regulation 17.1 of the Principal Regulations, the existing provision relating to qualification and age shall be substituted as follows: 17.1 Minimum Qualification and Age Criteria: (a) The aspirant candidate shall possess minimum educational qualification relevant to the domain of engagement, including Engineering, Law, Finance, Economics, Management, Information Technology, or such other discipline as may be specified in the notice inviting applications, having regard to the nature of the assignment. (b) A candidate who has not attained the age of sixty-three (63) years as on the last date of submission of application shall be eligible for engagement as an Individual Consultant. (c) An Individual Consultant may render services to the Commission up to the age of sixty-five (65) years, and no relaxation beyond sixty-five (65) years shall be permissible: Provided that the upper age limit prescribed under this clause shall not apply to engagement under the category of Advisor as specified in Regulation 7.3, subject to medical fitness and approval of the Commission. 9. Amendment to Regulation 20.5 (Staff Consultant - Fee Ceiling) In Regulation 20.5, for the words "where the fee payable does not exceed Rs. 10 lakhs for the year", the following shall be substituted: "where the fee payable shall not ordinarily exceed such amount as may be approved by the Commission having regard to budgetary allocation, and reasons shall be recorded in writing where the amount exceeds ₹10 lakh per annum." 10. Substitution of Regulation 20.7 (Staff Consultant – Qualification & Age) Regulation 20.7 shall be substituted as follows: 20.7 Minimum Qualification and Age Criteria (a) The aspirant candidate shall possess qualification relevant to the domain of engagement, including: (i) Engineering for Technical domain; (ii) Bachelor's Degree in Law for Legal domain; (iii) Bachelor degree with CA (Inter)/CMA (Inter)/ MBA for Finance domain; (iv) Any other qualification as may be specified by the Commission having regard to the nature of assignment. (b) The candidate up to the age of 63 years on the date of application shall be eligible and may render services till attaining the age of 65 years. 11. Insertion of New Regulation 20B (Annual Escalation) After Regulation 20.7 of the Principal Regulations, the following Regulation shall be inserted, namely: 20B. Annual Escalation The Commission may grant annual escalation up to ten per cent (10%) of the approved fee, based on satisfactory performance and subject to availability of budget and approval of the Commission. 12. Substitution of Schedule (Fee for Individual Consultants) The existing Schedule relating to fee shall be substituted with the following table: (A) Daily Basis Engagement +-------------------+---------------------------+ | Category | Maximum Fee per man-day | +===================+===========================+ | Junior Consultant | ₹3,000 | +-------------------+---------------------------+ | Consultant | ₹5,000 | +-------------------+---------------------------+ | Senior Consultant | ₹8,000 | +-------------------+---------------------------+ | Advisor | ₹12,000 | +-------------------+---------------------------+ (B) Monthly Basis Engagement +-------------------+-------------------------+ | Category | Monthly Fee Range | +===================+=========================+ | Junior Consultant | ₹40,000 - ₹70,000 | +-------------------+-------------------------+ | Consultant | ₹70,000 - ₹1,10,000 | +-------------------+-------------------------+ | Senior Consultant | ₹1,00,000 - ₹1,60,000 | +-------------------+-------------------------+ | Advisor | ₹1,50,000 - ₹2,50,000 | +-------------------+-------------------------+ Excluding applicable taxes. 13. Savings All engagements made prior to commencement of these Amendment Regulations shall continue to be governed by the provisions applicable at the time of such engagement. By Order of the Commission MOHD ASHRAF (JKAS), Secy. [ADVT.-III/4/Exty./272/2026-27] Uploaded by Dte. of Printing at Government of India Press, Ring Road, Mayapuri, New Delhi-110064 and Published by the Controller of Publications, Delhi-110054.