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Minimum wages · Assam

Minimum Wage for Cold Storage in Assam (Latest Rates)

In forceEffective 1 January 2026

In short: In Assam, the minimum wage for Cold Storage currently runs from about ₹406 to ₹758 per day and ₹10543 to ₹19710 per month, depending on skill category and zone, effective 1 January 2026. The exact figure by category is in the table below.

This page shows the current applicable minimum wage for workers employed in Cold Storage establishments in Assam. Use it to check the notified rate for each skill category before fixing pay for plant operators, chamber attendants, loaders, and other cold storage staff in Assam.

Minimum wage rates for Cold Storage in Assam

Category of workerPer dayPer month (26 days)
Unskilled₹406₹10,543
Semi-skilled / supervisory₹471₹12,257
Skilled / clerical₹589₹15,323
Highly-skilled₹758₹19,710

Rates effective 1 January 2026.

How to read this: these are Assam's minimum wage rates by skill category as most recently notified. Where Assam notifies a separate schedule specifically for Cold Storage, that schedule prevails. Confirm the current figure against the latest official notification before you rely on it.

What counts as Cold Storage

Cold Storage as a scheduled employment covers work carried out in refrigerated warehouses and controlled-temperature facilities that receive, store, preserve, and dispatch perishable goods such as fruits, vegetables, potatoes, dairy, meat, fish, and processed foods. It includes running and maintaining the refrigeration plant, chambers, insulation, and handling systems that hold stored stock at the required temperature.

Typical roles and skill categories

In Cold Storage work, the unskilled grade usually covers loaders, stackers, and general chamber helpers, while the semi-skilled grade takes in weighment clerks and junior chamber attendants. The skilled and highly-skilled grades typically map to refrigeration plant operators, ammonia and compressor technicians, maintenance fitters, and plant supervisors who keep the refrigeration system running.

Who fixes this wage

Cold Storage is a notified scheduled employment for which the Assam government fixes minimum wages by skill category, and in many cases by zone or area. Every cold storage establishment operating in Assam is required to pay at least the notified rate that applies to each worker's skill grade.

How Assam sets minimum wages

In Assam the Commissionerate of Labour sets a single statewide schedule that applies uniformly without any zonal division. Rates are given for four categories of worker and quoted both per day and per month on a 26-day basis, and they move with a variable dearness allowance, the current revision taking effect from 1 January 2026.

Common questions

What is the current minimum wage for Cold Storage in Assam?

In Assam, the minimum wage for Cold Storage currently runs from about ₹406 to ₹758 per day and ₹10543 to ₹19710 per month, depending on skill category and zone, effective 1 January 2026. The exact figure by category is in the table below. Confirm the exact rate for your worker's skill category and zone in the table above, and against the latest official notification.

Which cold storage workers are covered by these minimum wages in Assam?

The notified rates apply to all workers engaged in a cold storage establishment in Assam, including refrigeration plant operators, chamber attendants, loaders, weighment clerks, and maintenance staff, whether they are employed directly or supplied through a contractor.

How do the skill categories decide what a cold storage worker is paid?

Each worker is placed in the skill grade that matches the job, so general helpers and loaders usually fall under unskilled while plant technicians and operators fall under skilled or highly-skilled, and that grade decides which notified rate the employer in Assam must apply.

Does the cold storage minimum wage change with the location of the facility in Assam?

In many cases yes, because Assam often fixes cold storage wages by zone or area, so a facility in a larger city or industrial belt can fall under a different rate band than one in a rural or mandi location.

Source. Commissionerate of Labour, Government of Assam, VDA notification effective 1 January 2026. Verified against the official notifications list (accessed August 2026). Rates restated in our own words from the official notification; nothing is copied. Verify at your state labour department portal and labour.gov.in.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Minimum wages are revised periodically (often through a variable dearness allowance) and vary by skill, zone and scheduled employment. Confirm the current figure against the latest official notification on your state labour department portal or labour.gov.in before you act.
Author: ZeniaHR Editorial Team. Last verified against the source notification: 20 September 2026.

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