Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA) and Minimum Wages wef 01.04.2026 for employees employed in Mines: Labour Commissi0ner Order dated 30.03.2026
F.No.1/6(2)/2025- LS- II
Government of India
Ministry of Labour & Employment
Office of the Chief Labour Commissioner(C)
New Delhi
Dated:30/03/2026
ORDER
In exercise of the powers conferred by Central Government vide Notification No. S.O. 187(E) dated 19.01.2017 and subsequent amendment notification No. S.O. 2413(E) dated 28th of the Ministry of Labour and Employment the undersigned hereby revises the rates of Variable Dearness Allowance on the basis of the average Consumer Price Index for Industrial workers reaching 424.80 from 413.52 as on 31.12.2025 (Base 2016=100) and thereby resulting in an increase of 11.28 points. The revised Variable Dearness Allowance as under shall be payable from 01.04.2026: –
The rates of Variable Dearness Allowance for employees employed in employments in Gypsum Mines, Barytes Mines, Bauxite Mines, Manganese Mines, China Clay Mines, Kyanite Mines, Copper Mines, Clay Mines, Magnesite Mines, White Clay Mines, Stone Mines, Steatite Mines (including the mines producing Soap Stones and Talc), Ochre Mines, Asbestos Mines, Fire Clay Mines, Chromite Mines, Quartzite Mines, Quartz Mines, Silica Mines, Graphite Mines, Felspar Mines, Laterite Mines, Dolomite Mines, Red Oxide Mines, Wolfram Mines Iron Ore Mines, Granite Mines, Rock Phosphate Mines, Hematite Mines, Marble and Calcite Mines, Uranium Mines, Mica Mines, Lignite Mines, Gravel Mines, Slate Mines and Magnetite Mines.
| Category of Worker | Rates of V.D.A. (in Rs.) per day | |
| For work above ground | For work below ground | |
| Unskilled | 206 | 256 |
| Semi-Skilled/ Unskilled Supervisory | 256 | 304 |
| Skilled/Clerical | 304 | 354 |
| Highly Skilled | 354 | 395 |
Therefore the minimum rates of wages showing the basic rates and Variable Dearness Allowance Payable w.e.f. 01.04.2026 will be as under:-
| Category of Worker | Rates of wages including V.D.A. (in Rs.) per day | |
| For work above ground | For work below ground | |
| Unskilled | 350+206=556 | 437+256=693 |
| Semi-Skilled/Unskilled Supervisory | 437+256=693 | 523+304=827 |
| Skilled/Clerical | 523+304=827 | 610+354=964 |
| Highly Skilled | 610+354=964 | 683+395=1078 |
The VDA has been rounded off to the next higher rupee as per the decision of the Minimum Wages Advisory Board.
The classification of workers under different categories will be same as in Part- I of the notification, whereas classification of cities will be same as in the Part- II of the notification dated 19th January, 2017. The present classification of cities into areas A, B & C is enclosed at Annexure I for ready reference.
The instant notification is being issued in pursuance of sub- section (2) of Section 69 of the Code on Wages, 2019 (29 of 2019) and shall remain in force till the corresponding order is issued in pursuance of sub- section (2) of section 7 of the said Code.
(Sonal Mishra)
Chief Labour Commissioner(C)
ANNEXURE
CLASSIFICATION OF AREAS
| AREA – “A” | |||||
| Ahmedabad | (UA) | Hyderabad | (UA) | Faridabad complex | (M.Corpn) |
| Bangaluru | (UA) | Kanpur | (UA) | Ghaziabad | (UA) |
| Delhi | (UA) | Chennai | (UA) | Noida | |
| Greater Mumbai | (UA) | Nagpur | (UA) | Secunderabad | |
| Kolkata | (UA) | Lucknow | (UA) | Gurgaon | (M. Corpn) |
| Navi Mumbai | (UA) | Pune | (UA) | ||
| AREA – “B” | |||||
| Agra | (UA) | Gwalior | (UA) | Port Blair | (UA) |
| Ajmer | (UA) | Hubli-Dharwad | (M. Corpn) | Puducherry | (UA) |
| Aligarh | (UA) | Indore | (UA) | Raipur | (UA) |
| Allahabad | (UA) | Jabalpur | (UA) | Raurkela | (UA) |
| Amravati | (M.Corpn) | Jaipur | (M.Corpn) | Rajkot | (UA) |
| Amritsar | (UA) | Jalandhar | (UA) | Ranchi | (UA) |
| Asansol | (UA) | Jalandhar-Cantt. | (UA) | Saharanpur | (M.Corpn) |
| Aurangabad | (UA) | Jammu | (UA) | Salem | (UA) |
| Bareilly | (UA) | Jamnagar | (UA) | Sangli | (UA) |
| Belgaum | (UA) | Jamshedpur | (UA) | Shillong | |
| Bhavnagar | (UA) | Jhansi | (UA) | Siliguri | (UA) |
| Bhiwandi | (UA) | Jodhpur | (UA) | Solapur | (M.Corpn) |
| Bhopal | (UA) | Kannur | (UA) | Srinagar | (UA) |
| Bhubaneshwar | (UA) | Kochi | (UA) | Surat | (UA) |
| Bikaner | Kolhapur | (UA) | Thiruvanantapuram | (UA) | |
| Bokaro Steel City | (UA) | Kollam | (UA) | Thrissur | (UA) |
| Chandigarh | (UA) | Kota | (M.Corpn) | Tiruchirappalli | (UA) |
| Coimbatore | (UA) | Kozhikode | (UA) | Tiruppur | (UA) |
| Cuttack | (UA) | Ludhiana | (M.Corpn) | Ujjain | (M.Corpn) |
| Dehradun | (UA) | Madurai | (UA) | Vadodara | (UA) |
| Dhanbad | (UA) | Malappuram | (UA) | Varanasi | (UA) |
| Durgapur | Malegaon | (UA) | Vasai- Virar City | (M.Corpn) | |
| Durg-Bhilai Nagar | (UA) | Mangalore | (UA) | Vijayawada | (UA) |
| Erode | (UA) | Meerut | (UA) | Vishakhapatnam | (M.Corpn) |
| Firozabad | Moradabad | (M. Corpn) | Warangal | (UA) | |
| Goa | Mysore | (UA) | |||
| Gorakhpur | (UA) | Nanded Waghala | (M. Corpn) | ||
| Greater Visakhapatnam | (M.Corpn) | Nasik | (UA) | ||
| Gulbarga | (UA) | Nellore | (UA) | ||
| Guntur | (UA) | Panchkula | (UA) | ||
| Guwahati | (UA) | Patna | (UA) | ||
Note 1. Area ‘C’ shall comprise all areas not mentioned in this list but to which the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 (11 of 1948) extends.
Note 2.-U.A. means Urban Agglomeration.
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