Revision of Minimum Wages in Andhra Pradesh, Dated March 25, 2026

The Commissioner of Labour for Andhra Pradesh has notified revised Cost-of-Living Allowances (“VDA”) effective from April 1, 2026, based on Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) increases for industrial and agricultural workers. These rates apply until September 30, 2026, for 65 industrial and 5 agricultural categories, with a specialized one-year extension until March 31, 2027, for the Tobacco and Beedi Making sector. The notification mandates specific total wage structures combining basic pay and VDA that vary by geographical zones and skill levels – for example, monthly wages in Shops and Commercial Establishments range from INR 14,504 for managers in Zone-I to INR 12,317 for unskilled workers in Zone-II. Similar granular benchmarks are established for Security Services, where a Highly Skilled Supervisor can earn up to INR 16,498, and the manufacturing sector, where monthly wages for Highly Skilled Engineers reach INR 23,395. Furthermore, the rules for Contract Labour explicitly prohibit classifying anyone operating a machine as unskilled, setting their compensation floor while providing specific rates for roles such as highly skilled supervisors (INR 22,830) and unskilled helpers (INR 12,627).