CPI-IW for February 2026 Released: Index Dips Slightly to 148.5

The Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour & Employment, has released the All-India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) for February 2026. The index stood at 148.5 points (Base: 2016=100), a marginal decrease of 0.1 points from January 2026’s reading of 148.6.

The dip was primarily driven by a fall in the Food & Beverages group, which declined from 151.7 in January to 151.1 in February. Housing remained flat at 140.6. Pan, Supari & Tobacco (170.5 → 171.7), Clothing & Footwear (154.9 → 155.0), Fuel & Light (152.8 → 152.9), and Miscellaneous (145.8 → 146.2) all recorded marginal increases.

Year-on-year inflation based on CPI-IW rose to 3.99% in February 2026, up sharply from 2.59% recorded in February 2025.

Impact on DA for July 2026

With February 2026 data now confirmed, 8 of the 12 months needed to calculate the July 2026 DA revision are known. The February reading of 148.5 is marginally lower than the January figure, which pulls the running average down slightly. Based on current data, the July 2026 DA is now projected at 62%, revised down from the earlier estimate of 63%.

The remaining 4 months (March to June 2026) are yet to be released and will influence the final outcome. See our DA Calculator for the full month-by-month working and updated projection.