The Ministry of Labour & Employment (MoLE) on March 20, 2026, issued All-India Consumer Price Index Numbers for Agricultural and Rural Labourers – February, 2026.
The Labour Bureau, under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, has released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Agricultural Labourers (AL) and Rural Labourers (RL) with base year 2019=100 for February 2026. These indices are compiled using data collected from 787 sample villages across 34 States and Union Territories.
For February 2026, the All-India CPI for Agricultural Labourers declined by 0.50 points to 136.57, while the index for Rural Labourers decreased by 0.39 points to 136.51. Similarly, the Food Index showed a decline of 1.04 points for Agricultural Labourers and 0.86 points for Rural Labourers, indicating a marginal easing in food prices during the month compared to January 2026.
On a year-on-year basis, inflation for Agricultural Labourers stood at 2.57%, while for Rural Labourers it was recorded at 2.37% in February 2026. Food inflation for the same period was 2.51% for Agricultural Labourers and 2.25% for Rural Labourers, reflecting moderate price increases over the previous year.
