{"id":"in-puducherry","country":"in","kind":"ut","name":{"en":"Puducherry","local":"புதுச்சேரி"},"languages":["ta","en","fr","te","ml"],"currency":"INR","symbol":"₹","fxPerUsd":94,"cities":{"T1":"Puducherry (White Town / MG Road)","T2":"Puducherry (outer town) / Karaikal","T3":"Yanam"},"basket":{"teaCup":12,"simpleMeal":80,"haircutMen":100,"milkLitre":46,"breadLoaf":45,"unskilledDayWage":600,"minWageMonthly":11131,"shopRentSqftMonth":{"T1":100,"T2":40,"T3":18},"electricityCommercialKwh":7.5,"lpgCommercialCylinder":3000,"petrolLitre":101},"tax":{"salesTax":"GST 5/18% (national); lower VAT on fuel and liquor than Tamil Nadu","smallBizThreshold":"₹40 lakh goods / ₹20 lakh services (national)","localLevies":"Professional tax collected by municipalities/communes (slabs unconfirmed, max ~₹2,500/yr); municipal trade licence"},"licences":[{"name":"Shop & Establishment registration (Puducherry Shops & Establishments Act 1964)","fee":"Nominal (not retrieved)","authority":"Labour Department, Puducherry","source":"Est.: fee not found"},{"name":"Municipal trade licence (Puducherry Municipalities Trade and Entertainment Licences Rules, 2025)","fee":"By trade (not retrieved); new rules notified Dec 2025","authority":"Puducherry / Oulgaret / Karaikal municipalities, communes","source":"https://styandptg.py.gov.in/2025/DECEMBER/EXTRAORDINARYPART-II/1/87-PART-II dated 02-12-2025.pdf"},{"name":"Excise licences (bars/restaurants)","fee":"Restaurant on-premise liquor ₹7 lakh/yr; one-day FL-3 ₹10,000/day (May 2025)","authority":"Excise Department","source":"https://styandptg.py.gov.in/2025/MAY/EXTRAORDINARYPART-II/1/44-PART-II dated 28-05-2025.pdf"}],"festivals":[{"name":"Puducherry De Jure / Liberation Day","dates2026_27":"1 Nov 2026","effect":"UT holiday"},{"name":"Deepavali","dates2026_27":"about 8 Nov 2026","effect":"Sweets, clothes, crackers up; Tamil Nadu shoppers come for cheaper goods"},{"name":"Christmas / New Year","dates2026_27":"25 Dec 2026 – 1 Jan 2027","effect":"Biggest tourist surge: hotels full, cafés/bakeries/bars 2–4×; NYE beach-road crowds"},{"name":"International Yoga Festival","dates2026_27":"about 4–7 Jan 2027","effect":"Foreign/domestic visitors; cafés and guesthouses up"},{"name":"Pongal","dates2026_27":"14–17 Jan 2027","effect":"Tamil festival; local demand up, shops shut 1–2 days"},{"name":"Masi Magam","dates2026_27":"about Feb–Mar 2027","effect":"Sea-bath festival; deities brought to the beach; pilgrim stalls"},{"name":"Eid al-Fitr","dates2026_27":"about 10 Mar 2027","effect":"Karaikal and Muslim quarters evening food demand"},{"name":"Bastille Day","dates2026_27":"14 Jul 2027","effect":"French-heritage events, White Town tourism"}],"seasons":[{"months":"Oct–Dec","what":"North-east monsoon and cyclones (Fengal, Nov–Dec 2024); flooding, beach closures"},{"months":"Apr–Jun","what":"Hot, humid (35–40°C); weekday tourism slump, cold drinks up"},{"months":"Dec–Mar","what":"Peak tourist season; weekend Chennai/Bengaluru visitors all year"}],"payments":{"digitalShare":"about 55–75% UPI in tourist core, 35–50% in outer areas (Est.)","credit":"udhaar in neighbourhood stores; tourists pay by UPI/card"},"notes":"Puducherry is a small UT of four non-contiguous enclaves (Puducherry and Karaikal inside Tamil Nadu, Mahe in Kerala, Yanam in Andhra) with no true metro, so tiers are approximated. Its edge is tax: lower VAT makes petrol around ₹6–7/L cheaper than Chennai and liquor far cheaper than TASMAC, which pulls weekend shoppers and tourists from Tamil Nadu. Tourism (White Town, Auroville, beach road) drives cafés, bakeries, guesthouses and bars, with a sharp Christmas–New Year peak. Minimum wages are the lowest of the southern region on paper (₹11,131 for helpers from Sep 2024, a 2026 Code-on-Wages rule set may revise it), commercial power is cheaper than in neighbouring states, and Oct–Dec cyclones are the main risk.","factors":[{"id":"P01","cat":"Wages","name":"Minimum wage, shops — helper/shop boy","value":"₹11,131/month (w.e.f. 2 Sep 2024; no later shops revision found)","role":"HV","source":"https://wageindicator.org/en-in/ai/work-in-india/minimum-wage/20125-puducherry/20407-shops-and-estts-miscellaneous-workers-puducherry-karaikal-mahe-and-yanam-regions/","estimate":false},{"id":"P02","cat":"Wages","name":"Minimum wage, shops — manager/development officer","value":"₹11,695/month (w.e.f. 2 Sep 2024)","role":"HV","source":"https://wageindicator.org/en-in/ai/work-in-india/minimum-wage/20125-puducherry/43291-shops-and-estts-puducherry-karaikal-mahe-and-yanam-regions/","estimate":false},{"id":"P03","cat":"Wages","name":"Code on Wages (Puducherry) Rules 2026","value":"Notified 15–16 Jun 2026, superseding 1964 minimum-wage rules; new rates may follow","role":"RE","source":"https://styandptg.py.gov.in/2026/JUNE/EXTRAORDINARYPART-II/1/37-PART-II dated 16-06-2026.pdf","estimate":false},{"id":"P04","cat":"Wages","name":"Typical informal helper pay","value":"₹9k–13k/month; tourist cafés ₹12k–16k","role":"HV","source":"Est.: aligned with neighbouring Tamil Nadu towns","estimate":true},{"id":"P05","cat":"Wages","name":"Casual unskilled day wage","value":"₹600/day","role":"HV","source":"Est.: legal floor ≈ ₹428/day; market follows Tamil Nadu (~₹600–650)","estimate":true},{"id":"P06","cat":"Rent","name":"Shop rent T1 (White Town / MG Road / Mission St)","value":"₹100/sq ft/month","role":"HV","source":"Est.: tourist core premium over a T2-size city","estimate":true},{"id":"P07","cat":"Rent","name":"Shop rent T2 (outer Puducherry / Karaikal)","value":"₹40/sq ft/month","role":"HV","source":"Est.: national T2 band, lower half","estimate":true},{"id":"P08","cat":"Rent","name":"Shop rent T3 (Yanam / Mahe / communes)","value":"₹18/sq ft/month","role":"HV","source":"Est.: national T3 band","estimate":true},{"id":"P09","cat":"Energy","name":"Commercial electricity","value":"≈₹7.5/kWh effective","role":"HV","source":"Est.: 2022-23 commercial slabs ₹5.70 / 6.75 / 7.50 (https://electricity.py.gov.in/sites/default/files/Public%20notice%20tariff%20order%2022-23%20and%20business%20plan%20in%20english%20%281%29.pdf) plus later revisions under the FY26–30 MYT petition","estimate":true},{"id":"P10","cat":"Energy","name":"Commercial LPG 19 kg","value":"≈₹3,000","role":"HV","source":"Est.: Chennai ₹2,983 (1 Oct 2026) + small transport differential","estimate":true},{"id":"P11","cat":"Energy","name":"Petrol","value":"≈₹101/L (~₹6–7 below Chennai's ₹107.76)","role":"HV","source":"Est.: historical Puducherry–Chennai VAT gap applied to Oct 2026 Chennai price (https://www.thehansindia.com/business/petrol-and-diesel-prices-today-in-hyderabad-delhi-chennai-and-mumbai-on-18-october-2026-1133517)","estimate":true},{"id":"P12","cat":"Licences","name":"Municipal trade licence rules","value":"New Trade and Entertainment Licences (Issuance and Renewal) Rules, Dec 2025","role":"PD","source":"https://styandptg.py.gov.in/2025/DECEMBER/EXTRAORDINARYPART-II/1/87-PART-II dated 02-12-2025.pdf","estimate":false},{"id":"P13","cat":"Licences","name":"Restaurant liquor licence","value":"₹7 lakh/yr for on-premise service; FL-3 one-day ₹10,000","role":"PD","source":"https://styandptg.py.gov.in/2025/MAY/EXTRAORDINARYPART-II/1/44-PART-II dated 28-05-2025.pdf","estimate":false},{"id":"P14","cat":"Licences","name":"S&E registration","value":"Nominal fee; required for shops with staff","role":"PD","source":"Est.: fee not retrieved","estimate":true},{"id":"P15","cat":"Tax","name":"Professional tax","value":"Collected by municipalities; slabs unconfirmed (max ~₹2,500/yr)","role":"HV","source":"https://hrone.cloud/blog/professional-tax-slab-rates-2026-27/","estimate":false},{"id":"P16","cat":"Tax","name":"GST and FSSAI","value":"National rules unchanged","role":"HV","source":"https://www.fssai.gov.in/upload/advisories/2026/03/69c6a23234827order_27032026.pdf","estimate":false},{"id":"P17","cat":"Rules","name":"Cheap liquor market","value":"India's most price-sensitive liquor market beside costlier TASMAC; draws TN weekend buyers; new IMFL bottling licences after two decades","role":"HV","source":"https://calcguru.in/liquor-license-puducherry/","estimate":false},{"id":"P18","cat":"Rules","name":"Liquor cross-border checks","value":"TN police seize liquor carried out of Puducherry above limits; dampens 'shopping trip' trade during drives","role":"RE","source":"Est.: recurring border enforcement","estimate":true},{"id":"P19","cat":"Rules","name":"Plastic ban","value":"Single-use plastic ban in force (UT notification 2019 + national 2022)","role":"RE","source":"Est.","estimate":true},{"id":"P20","cat":"Festivals","name":"Christmas–New Year tourist peak","value":"Hotels/cafés/bars 2–4× for ~10 days","role":"HV","source":"Est.: tourism pattern","estimate":true},{"id":"P21","cat":"Festivals","name":"Weekend tourism","value":"Fri–Sun visitors from Chennai/Bengaluru; T1 weekend demand 1.5–2× weekdays","role":"HV","source":"Est.","estimate":true},{"id":"P22","cat":"Festivals","name":"Pongal and Deepavali","value":"Pongal 14–17 Jan 2027; Deepavali about 8 Nov 2026","role":"HV","source":"https://publicholidays.in/tamil-nadu/","estimate":false},{"id":"P23","cat":"Festivals","name":"Liberation Day / Bastille Day","value":"1 Nov (UT holiday) and 14 Jul (heritage tourism)","role":"HV","source":"Est.","estimate":true},{"id":"P24","cat":"Festivals","name":"Masi Magam and Yoga Festival","value":"Masi Magam ~Feb–Mar; Yoga Festival ~4–7 Jan","role":"HV","source":"Est.","estimate":true},{"id":"P25","cat":"Climate","name":"Cyclone landfall","value":"Oct–Dec; Fengal (Nov–Dec 2024) record rain flooded the town; 2–5 lost days","role":"RE","source":"Est.: ~1 serious event every 2–3 years","estimate":true},{"id":"P26","cat":"Climate","name":"Summer slump","value":"Apr–Jun humid heat; weekday tourism −30–40%","role":"HV","source":"Est.","estimate":true},{"id":"P27","cat":"Prices","name":"Packet milk (Ponlait toned)","value":"≈₹46/L","role":"HV","source":"Est.: priced between Aavin (₹40–44) and private brands","estimate":true},{"id":"P28","cat":"Prices","name":"Tea, T2","value":"₹12 (tourist cafés ₹40–100 for coffee)","role":"HV","source":"Est.","estimate":true},{"id":"P29","cat":"Prices","name":"Simple meal, T2","value":"₹80 (tourist-core restaurant ₹250+)","role":"HV","source":"Est.","estimate":true},{"id":"P30","cat":"Prices","name":"Men's haircut, T2","value":"₹100","role":"HV","source":"Est.","estimate":true},{"id":"P31","cat":"Market","name":"Per-capita income","value":"PPP ≈$18,283 (2025-26), ~12th nationally","role":"HV","source":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_states_and_union_territories_by_GDP_(PPP)","estimate":false},{"id":"P32","cat":"Market","name":"Urbanisation","value":"68% urban (Census 2011) — among the most urban regions","role":"HV","source":"Est.: Census 2011 (old)","estimate":true},{"id":"P33","cat":"Market","name":"Four scattered enclaves","value":"Mahe and Yanam follow Kerala/Andhra prices and languages; Karaikal follows Tamil delta towns","role":"HV","source":"Est.: geography","estimate":true},{"id":"P34","cat":"Payments","name":"Digital share","value":"Tourist core 55–75% UPI/card; outer 35–50%","role":"HV","source":"Est.","estimate":true},{"id":"P35","cat":"Language","name":"Languages","value":"Tamil (Puducherry, Karaikal), Malayalam (Mahe), Telugu (Yanam); English and some French for tourism","role":"HV","source":"Est.","estimate":true},{"id":"P36","cat":"Risk","name":"Bandh / political stalemate","value":"Bandhs over statehood/LG disputes ~1/yr","role":"RE","source":"Est.","estimate":true},{"id":"P37","cat":"Market","name":"FX used for USD conversion","value":"₹94 per USD (Est.)","role":"HV","source":"Est.: https://thewire.in/economy/in-wake-of-depreciating-rupee-foreign-remittances-to-kerala-remain-unaffected-despite-west-asia-crisis","estimate":true}]}