AICPI-IW for Feb 2026: 148.5

The All-India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (AICPI-IW) for Feb 2026 was recorded at 148.5 points on the 2016=100 base — a modest fall of 0.1 points from the previous month. The index measures the retail prices of a fixed basket — food, fuel, housing and other essentials — that decides Dearness Allowance (DA) for Central Government employees and pensioners.

Compared with Feb 2025 a year earlier, when the index stood at 142.8, Feb 2026 is a year-on-year change of +5.7 points (about 3.99%). That twelve-month movement is a broad gauge of how much the cost of living for CG employees has shifted, and it feeds directly into the rolling average behind the DA formula.

Impact on the next DA revision

DA is not revised on a single month's figure — it moves on the 12-month rolling average of AICPI-IW. After the Feb 2026 reading, that average stands at 146.47, which under the standard 7th CPC formula is consistent with a cumulative DA of about 61%. That is roughly 1 percentage point above the 60% currently in payment (since Jan 2026), pointing to headroom for a further DA increase at the next revision.

Because DA is revised twice a year — from 1 January and 1 July — a reading for Feb 2026 feeds into the twelve-month window that decides the DA effective 1 July 2026. The government announces the actual percentage a few months after the period closes, but tracking each monthly release lets CG employees anticipate the direction well in advance.

To turn this into rupees, use the Current DA Rate calculator for your basic pay, or the DA Arrears calculator to estimate a lump sum from the most recent revision.