Dear Sanjay & Asok Kumar,
Considering the living cost and all, Wage Revision is being done once every five or ten years. However, inflation will increase day by day, leading to a decrease in the value of money. Waiting until the next Wage Revision to compensate for this is not practical, which is why the DA is introduced.
The devaluation of money can be assessed through the Wholesale Price Index, All India Consumer Price Index, etc. The difference between these two is that the Wholesale Price Index takes into account price variations of all commodities.
For the All India Consumer Price Index, there are some differences and limitations:
1. It focuses on a specific consumer, the Industrial Worker.
2. It defines specified goods and services known as a "basket of goods."
3. It considers both the price variation of commodities and their consumable quantity.
4. It selects 78 centers across India to calculate the average.
Based on the All India Consumer Price Index, Industrial DA is paid, with variations in quarters starting from January, April, July, and October. For instance, the AICPI for January is the average of the previous September, October, and November. Similarly, for April, it is December, January, and February; for July, it is March, April, and May; and for October, it is June, July, and August.
When full compensation for money devaluation is achieved, it is called full DA neutralization. The formula for full DA neutralization is (Total points - Base points)/Base points (in percentage). The AICPI was introduced in India in 1960 and revised in 1982 and 2001. By multiplying the AICPI of 2001 by 4.63, we obtain the AICPI of 1982, and multiplying the AICPI of 1982 by 4.93 gives us the AICPI of 1960. For DA calculation, the AICPI of 1960 serves as the base.
The indexes can be obtained from the web: Labour Statistics Page 2.
In India, two main wage settlements exist: Wage Settlements of 1.1.1997 and 1.1.2007. The base points are 1708 for 1.1.1997 and 2884 for 1.1.2007.
For example, let's calculate the AICPI for July '10, which is equivalent to the average of the previous March, April, and May, recorded as 170, 170, and 172 (Base year 2001). By multiplying these values with 4.63 and rounding, we get 787, 787, and 796 (Base year 1982). Multiplying with 4.93 and rounding gives 3880, 3880, and 3924 (Base year 1960). The average of these three values, when rounded, is 3895.
For the 1.1.97 scale DA, the total points are 3895, the base points are 1708, and the difference is 2187. The percentage is 2187/1708 x 100 = 128.0 (correct to one decimal).
For the 1.1.2007 scale DA, the total points are 3895, the base points are 2884, and the difference is 1011. The percentage is 1011/2884 x 100 = 35.1 (correct to one decimal).
I will insert an Excel sheet for IDA calculation effective from 1.10.2008. You can extend the rows as needed and enter the three indexes toward the year 2001 in the green-colored columns. The results will be displayed in yellow, while red is used for static information.
Abbas.P.S