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CLCLabour and social security

Central minimum-wage VDA revision watch

The employer check for central variable dearness allowance orders issued before April and October.

How this is timed

VDA order watch

Regulator
CLC
Category
Labour and social security
Form
Not specified
Last verified
2026-09-01
Read statutory basis

Check the Central Labour Commissioner VDA order before 1 April and again before 1 October each year. This is a notice-to-watch item, not an employer filing. Rule 4 fixes the twice-yearly revision cadence but not an employer submission date.

Deadlines counted from an event

These have no calendar date. The clock starts when the event happens.

VDA order watch

Check for the central-sphere VDA order once before 1 April and once before 1 October.

The rule

Stated as the law states it, so you can work out any period yourself.

VDA order watch

Check for the central-sphere VDA order once before 1 April and once before 1 October.

Who must comply

  • An employer paying workers under a central-sphere minimum-wage order

Statutory basis

Read the provision here where we hold it, or on the regulator's site.

How to file

  1. 1Check the CLC order before 1 April.
  2. 2Apply the notified rate.
  3. 3Check the CLC order again before 1 October.

Recent changes affecting this

From the regulator's own circulars and notifications.

clc02 Apr 2026Minimum wage order

Revision of Variable Dearness Allowance for Scheduled Employments

The Office of the Chief Labour Commissioner (C) has revised the Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA) for various scheduled employments, including agriculture, mining, construction, loading and unloading, sweeping and cleaning, and watch and ward services. This revision is based on the increase in the average Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers from 413.52 to 424.80 (Base 2016=100), resulting in an 11.28-point increase. The revised VDA rates, which have been rounded to the next higher rupee, are effective from April 1, 2026. Employers in these sectors must pay the updated minimum wages, which include both the basic rates and the revised VDA, in accordance with the classification of areas and worker categories specified in the orders.

clc20 Jan 2026Circular

Instructions and Clarifications on Minimum Wages, Gratuity, and Contract Labour Acts

This document consolidates instructions from the Office of the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) regarding the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972, and the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970. It clarifies that the Central Government is the 'appropriate government' for nationalized banks, the State Bank of India, and BHEL. It confirms the applicability of the Payment of Gratuity Act to NBRC employees. Furthermore, it provides procedural guidelines for Deputy Chief Labour Commissioners to handle wage disputes under the Contract Labour Act and mandates that Registering Officers must strictly adhere to statutory definitions when processing Principal Employer registrations for entities like the Food Corporation of India and the Rural Health Training Centre.

clc30 Sept 2025Minimum wage order

Revision of Variable Dearness Allowance for Scheduled Employments

The Office of the Chief Labour Commissioner has revised the Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA) for various scheduled employments, including agriculture, mining, construction, loading and unloading, sweeping and cleaning, and watch and ward services. This revision is based on the increase in the average Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers from 402.09 to 413.42 (Base 2016=100), resulting in an increase of 11.33 points. The revised VDA rates and total minimum wages are effective from October 1, 2025. The VDA amounts have been rounded off to the next higher rupee. Employers are required to pay the revised minimum rates of wages, which include both the basic rates and the updated VDA, to the respective categories of workers.

Last verified 2026-09-01. Confirm against the official source before you rely on it.