Watch & Ward Worker VDA Revised w.e.f. 01.10.2026 | Labour Bureau Order
REVISED VDA FOR WATCH & WARD WORKERS w.e.f. 01.10.2026
Ministry of Labour & Employment, Labour Bureau, Chandigarh – File No. 6/1/2026-VDA, Dated 30.09.2026
File No.
6/1/2026-VDA
Issuing Authority
Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour & Employment
Issued By
Shyam Singh Negi, Director General
Date
30th September 2026
CPI-IW Index
431.42
From 424.80 (Base 2016=100)
VDA Increase
+6.62 points
Over previous quarter
Effective From
01.10.2026
Payable from this date
Wage Range
₹794 – ₹1,111
Per day, across areas & categories
I. Watch & Ward (Without Arms)
Revised VDA (Area-wise)
Watch & Ward (Without Arms) – VDA Rates
Area A
₹387
Per Day
Area B
₹354
Per Day
Area C
₹300
Per Day
Minimum Wages (Basic + VDA)
Watch & Ward (Without Arms) – Minimum Daily Wages
Area A
₹637 + ₹387
₹1,024
Per Day
Area B
₹579 + ₹354
₹933
Per Day
Area C
₹494 + ₹300
₹794
Per Day
II. Watch & Ward (With Arms)
Revised VDA (Area-wise)
Watch & Ward (With Arms) – VDA Rates
Area A
₹418
Per Day
Area B
₹387
Per Day
Area C
₹354
Per Day
Minimum Wages (Basic + VDA)
Watch & Ward (With Arms) – Minimum Daily Wages
Area A
₹693 + ₹418
₹1,111
Per Day
Area B
₹637 + ₹387
₹1,024
Per Day
Area C
₹579 + ₹354
₹933
Per Day
The VDA has been rounded off to the next higher rupee as per the decision of the Minimum Wages Advisory Board.
Applicable Employment
- Watch & Ward (Without Arms) – VDA ranges from ₹300 (Area C) to ₹387 (Area A) per day
- Watch & Ward (With Arms) – VDA ranges from ₹354 (Area C) to ₹418 (Area A) per day
Area Classification (Annexure I)
A
Area "A" – Metro Cities
Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Faridabad, Bengaluru, Kanpur, Ghaziabad, Delhi, Chennai, Noida, Greater Mumbai, Nagpur, Secunderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Gurgaon, Navi Mumbai, Pune.
B
Area "B" – Major Cities (incl. Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela)
Agra, Gwalior, Port Blair, Ajmer, Hubli-Dharwad, Puducherry, Aligarh, Indore, Raipur, Allahabad, Jabalpur, Raurkela, Amravati, Jaipur, Rajkot, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ranchi, Asansol, Jalandhar-Cantt., Saharanpur, Aurangabad, Jammu, Salem, Bareilly, Jarnagar, Sangli, Belgaum, Jamshedpur, Shillong, Bhavnagar, Jhansi, Siliguri, Bhiwandi, Jodhpur, Solapur, Bhopal, Kannur, Srinagar, Bhubaneshwar, Kochi, Surat, Bikaner, Kolhapur, Thiruvanantapuram, Bokaro Steel City, Kollam, Thrissur, Chandigarh, Kota, Tiruchirappalli, Coimbatore, Kozhikode, Tiruppur, Cuttack, Ludhiana, Ujjain, Dehradun, Madurai, Vadodara, Dhanbad, Malappuram, Varanasi, Durgapur, Malegaon, Vasai-Virar City, Durg-Bhilai Nagar, Mangalore, Vijayawada, Erode, Meerut, Vishakhapatnam, Firozabad, Moradabad, Warangal, Goa, Mysore, Gorakhpur, Nanded Waghala, Greater Visakhapatnam, Nasik, Gulbarga, Nellore, Guntur, Panchkula, Guwahati, Patna.
C
Area "C" – All Other Areas
Area "C" shall comprise all areas not mentioned in Area A and Area B, but to which the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 extends.
Note: U.A. means Urban Agglomeration.
Important Points to Note
- Effective Date: Revised VDA is payable from 01.10.2026.
- CPI-IW Index: Average CPI-IW reached 431.42 from 424.80 (Base 2016=100).
- VDA Increase: Resulted in an increase of 6.62 points.
- Two Categories: Watch & Ward (Without Arms) and Watch & Ward (With Arms).
- Without Arms: Wage range from ₹794 (Area C) to ₹1,024 (Area A) per day.
- With Arms: Wage range from ₹933 (Area C) to ₹1,111 (Area A) per day.
- With Arms Premium: Workers with arms get approximately ₹109–₹150 more per day than those without arms, depending on the area.
- Area-wise VDA: Higher VDA in Area A, followed by B, then C.
- Rounding: VDA rounded off to the next higher rupee.
- Legal Basis: Issued under Section 69(2) of the Code on Wages, 2019 (29 of 2019).
- Worker Classification: Same as Part I of Notification No. S.O. 191(E) dated 19.01.2017.
- Issued By: Shyam Singh Negi, Director General, Labour Bureau.
Download the Official Order or share this update:
📥 Download PDF Share on WhatsApp Share via Gmail Share on TelegramFrequently Asked Questions
What is this order about?
This order from the Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour & Employment, revises the rates of Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA) for workers employed in Watch & Ward (both with arms and without arms), effective from 01.10.2026.
When does the revised VDA come into effect?
The revised VDA is payable from 01.10.2026.
What is the CPI-IW index on which this revision is based?
The average Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) reached 431.42 from 424.80 as on 30.06.2026, linked to Base 2016=100. This resulted in an increase of 6.62 points.
What are the new minimum wages for Watch & Ward (Without Arms)?
For Watch & Ward (Without Arms): ₹1,024 (Area A), ₹933 (Area B), and ₹794 (Area C) per day.
What are the new minimum wages for Watch & Ward (With Arms)?
For Watch & Ward (With Arms): ₹1,111 (Area A), ₹1,024 (Area B), and ₹933 (Area C) per day.
What is the difference in wages between "With Arms" and "Without Arms"?
Workers with arms get approximately ₹109–₹150 more per day than those without arms, depending on the area. For Area A: ₹1,111 vs ₹1,024 (₹87 more); Area B: ₹1,024 vs ₹933 (₹91 more); Area C: ₹933 vs ₹794 (₹139 more).
How is the VDA rounded off?
The VDA has been rounded off to the next higher rupee as per the decision of the Minimum Wages Advisory Board.
What is the legal basis for this order?
The order is issued in pursuance of sub-section (2) of Section 69 of the Code on Wages, 2019 (29 of 2019).
How are cities classified for the purpose of minimum wages?
Cities are classified into Area A, Area B, and Area C. Area A includes metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, etc. Area B includes Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, and other major cities. Area C comprises all other areas.
Who issued this order?
The order has been issued by Shyam Singh Negi, Director General, Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Chandigarh.
Where can I download the official order?
You can download the official order using the Download PDF button provided on this page.
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