An all-in-one business management solution for all your business needs!
Book a free demo to know more!
Built to scale with your business.
AI-powered solution to automate workflow.
Cost-effective for growing businesses.
An all-in-one business management solution for all your business needs!
Book a free demo to know more!
Minimum wages in Chhattisgarh are fixed under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 and notified by the Labour Department, Government of Chhattisgarh. Rates are paid as basic wage plus Variable Dearness Allowance and split across three zones. The general schedule - Category KH, covering shops and commercial establishments and other scheduled employment - is revised twice a year through a semi-annual VDA update.
The short answer For the wage period 01 April 2026 to 30 September 2026, minimum wages in Chhattisgarh run from ₹10,882 a month for unskilled work in Zone C to ₹13,612 a month for highly skilled work in Zone A. Every rate carries a Variable Dearness Allowance of ₹3,082 a month, applied uniformly across all four skill grades and all three zones – only the basic differs by grade and zone. The revision was calculated on the July to December 2025 Consumer Price Index average.
The monthly minimum is the notified basic for the zone and grade plus the current VDA of ₹3,082 – for unskilled work in Zone A that is ₹8,320 plus ₹3,082, or ₹11,402 a month. The daily rate is the monthly figure divided by 26, giving ₹438.54. Overtime is paid at twice the ordinary rate, calculated on basic plus VDA rather than on basic alone.
The mistake to avoid: assuming the VDA varies by grade. In Chhattisgarh the allowance is a single flat ₹3,082 a month applied identically to unskilled and highly skilled work in every zone – only the basic moves. A payroll system configured to scale the allowance with the grade, as several neighbouring states do, will produce the wrong total for three of the four grades.
Worked example – unskilled, Zone A
Basic = ₹8,320 / month · VDA = ₹3,082 / month
Total per month = 8,320 + 3,082 = ₹11,402
Per day = 11,402 ÷ 26 = ₹438.54
Per year = 11,402 × 12 = ₹1,36,824
One overtime hour at 8 std hrs = 438.54 ÷ 8 × 2 = ₹109.64
Chhattisgarh uses the four standard skill grades, with an unusually regular structure – the step between grades is ₹650, ₹780 and ₹780 a month on the basic, identical in every zone. Classification follows the work actually performed rather than the designation on the appointment letter, and it must move when a role’s duties change permanently.
Act on this: in the Bhilai, Korba and Raigarh industrial belt, review anyone whose role has grown into machinery operation or safety-critical work. The steel, power and mining sectors dominate covered employment in Chhattisgarh, and a worker hired as a helper who now runs equipment unsupervised has moved at least one grade – worth ₹650 a month from the date the duties changed.
Minimum wages in Chhattisgarh apply to workers in the scheduled employments notified by the state government, and coverage does not depend on headcount. The general schedule, Category KH, covers shops and commercial establishments alongside other general employment; steel, power, mining, cement and construction account for the bulk of the state’s covered workforce. Contract workers are covered on the same footing as directly employed staff, with the principal employer liable where a contractor underpays.
Paying below the notified rate exposes an employer to recovery of the shortfall for the whole affected period, compensation on top, and prosecution. Under the Code on Wages, 2019 a first offence attracts a fine of up to ₹50,000, and a repeat offence within five years can mean up to three months imprisonment and a fine of up to ₹1 lakh. Claims reach back three years.
Act on this: in mining and plant contracting, require the zone classification on every invoice alongside the grade-wise headcount. Chhattisgarh’s industrial sites frequently sit outside the Zone A municipal boundaries even where the company address is inside one, and the zone is the variable most often assumed rather than checked.
The Labour Department, Government of Chhattisgarh fixes minimum wages under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948. The basic rate for each zone and grade is set by notification, and the Variable Dearness Allowance is revised twice a year against the Consumer Price Index. The current revision, effective 01 April 2026 to 30 September 2026, was calculated on the July to December 2025 CPI average and set the VDA at ₹3,082 a month across all grades and zones.
Act on this: update one field, not twelve. Because Chhattisgarh applies a single flat VDA across every zone and grade, each half-yearly revision is a one-value change in your wage master – provided basic and VDA are held as separate fields. If they are merged into a single total, the same revision becomes twelve manual edits and eleven chances to get one wrong.
Revision history for the general schedule in Chhattisgarh. Only the VDA moves at the half-yearly revision.
| Effective Period | VDA / Month | Unskilled Zone A / Month | Unskilled Zone C / Month | CPI Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Apr 2026 – 30 Sep 2026 | ₹3,082 | ₹11,402 | ₹10,882 | July to December 2025 CPI average |
| 01 Oct 2025 – 31 Mar 2026 | – | – | – | Preceding half-year |
| 01 Apr 2025 – 30 Sep 2025 | – | – | – | Earlier revision |
Figures marked – are to be filled from the corresponding notification. Rates shown are for the general scheduled-employment class, Category KH. Other scheduled employments may carry separate rates. Cross-verified against compliance-maintained datasets, July 2026. Always confirm against the official notification of the relevant State Labour Department before finalizing payroll.
Chhattisgarh sits toward the lower-middle of the national range, with a three-zone structure and a flat allowance that make the schedule easy to administer. The state’s covered workforce concentrates heavily in steel, power and mining, which puts more weight on the skilled and highly skilled grades than in most comparable states.
Unskilled minimum wage per day, compared with other states. Comparison figures are to be filled from each state’s own notification.
| State / Benchmark | Unskilled / Day | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Chhattisgarh – Zone A | ₹438.54 | Basic ₹8,320 + VDA ₹3,082 a month, Raipur, Durg, Bhilai, Birgaon |
| Chhattisgarh – Zone C | ₹418.54 | Basic ₹7,800 + VDA ₹3,082 a month, rest of state |
| Madhya Pradesh | ₹477.88 | Basic ₹9,575 + VDA ₹2,850 a month, statewide, no zones |
| Odisha | ₹472 | Basic ₹462 + VDA ₹10 a day, single zone |
| Jharkhand – Area A | ₹514.81 | Basic ₹12,168 + VDA ₹1,217 a month |
| National Floor Wage | – | Advisory floor, not directly enforceable on employers |
Act on this: Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh separated in 2000 and their schedules have diverged since – MP notifies statewide with no zones while Chhattisgarh runs three. A shared rate card between them will apply the wrong structure, not merely the wrong number.
The table below sets out minimum wages in Chhattisgarh for the general scheduled-employment class, effective 01 April 2026 to 30 September 2026. The VDA of ₹3,082 a month is flat across every zone and grade; only the basic differs. Daily figures are the monthly total divided by 26.
| Effective From | Notified On | Unskilled / Month | Highly Skilled / Month | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Apr 2025 | 24 Jun 2025 | ₹12,750 | ₹15,390 | Consolidated rates, four grades, no zones |
| Preceding revision | – | – | – | To be filled from the Labour Department archive |
| Structure | – | – | – | No separate VDA line; whole figure moves at revision |
Source: Labour Department, Government of Chhattisgarh – general scheduled-employment class (Category KH), effective 01 April 2026 to 30 September 2026, revised through the semi-annual VDA update on the July to December 2025 CPI average. Cross-verified against compliance-maintained datasets, July 2026. Always confirm against the official notification of the relevant State Labour Department before finalizing payroll.
Chhattisgarh classifies its territory into three zones. The gap between Zone A and Zone C is a flat ₹520 a month at every skill grade, since only the basic varies and it varies by the same amount throughout.
The zone follows the workplace
Apply the zone of the establishment where the employee actually reports, not the registered office. Industrial sites frequently sit outside the named municipal areas even where the company address is inside one.
Raipur, Durg, Bhilai and Birgaon sit in Zone A and carry the highest rates in the state – ₹11,402 a month for unskilled work and ₹13,612 for highly skilled. Bilaspur, Korba, Raigarh, Rajnandgaon, Ambikapur, Chirmiri and Dhamtari fall in Zone B, ₹260 a month lower at every grade. Everywhere else applies Zone C. For employers in the steel and power belt the practical caution is that a plant or mine can sit outside the named municipal area while the corporate address sits inside it – the zone follows the workplace, not the registration.
From 01 April 2026 to 30 September 2026, minimum wages in Chhattisgarh run from ₹10,882 a month for unskilled work in Zone C to ₹13,612 a month for highly skilled work in Zone A. Unskilled Zone A is ₹11,402 a month or ₹438.54 a day. Every figure includes a VDA of ₹3,082 a month.
Zone A covers Raipur Municipal Corporation together with Durg, Bhilai and Birgaon. Zone B covers Rajnandgaon, Bilaspur, Korba, Raigarh, Ambikapur, Chirmiri and Dhamtari. Zone C covers all other areas. The zone follows the workplace, not the registered office.
Yes, and this is unusual. Chhattisgarh applies a single flat VDA of ₹3,082 a month identically to unskilled and highly skilled work in every zone — only the basic differs by grade and zone. Payroll systems configured to scale the allowance with the grade will produce the wrong total.
Twice a year, through a semi-annual VDA update linked to the Consumer Price Index. The current revision covers 01 April 2026 to 30 September 2026 and was calculated on the July to December 2025 CPI average, so the next is due from 01 October 2026.
Divide the notified monthly total by 26. Unskilled Zone A at ₹11,402 a month gives ₹438.54 a day and ₹1,36,824 a year. Overtime is twice the ordinary rate, calculated on basic plus VDA rather than on basic alone.
No. Chhattisgarh has been a separate state since 2000 with its own Labour Department and its own notifications, and the two schedules have diverged structurally — Madhya Pradesh notifies statewide with no zones while Chhattisgarh runs three. A shared rate card applies the wrong structure, not just the wrong figure.
Alpesh Vaghasiya (CEO)
Alpesh Vaghasiya is the Co-founder and CEO of Superworks, a smart business management solution that Indian SMBs and large enterprises use to run attendance, payroll, and statutory compliance from a single system. He has spent over 15 years building software out of Surat, founding Artoon Solutions, now a 350+ person product engineering firm serving clients across 30+ countries, in 2009, before launching Superworks in 2020.
His writing comes from the operator's side of compliance - what actually breaks when payroll has to absorb a minimum wage revision, reconcile attendance across multiple sites, or file returns under different state rules in the same month. A Charter Member of TiE Surat and an active angel investor in early-stage Indian startups, he holds a B.E. in Computer Engineering from Gujarat University.
Superworks keeps minimum wage slabs, zones, and statutory deductions correct across all your locations.
