343 infrastructure projects show cost overruns of Rs 4.5 lakh crore

As many as 343 infrastructure projects, each entailing an investment of Rs 150 crore or more, have been hit by cost overruns of more than Rs 4.5 lakh crore, as per an official report.

According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, which monitors infrastructure projects of Rs 150 crore and above, out of 1,438 projects, 343 reported cost overruns and as many as 835 projects were delayed.

“Total original cost of implementation of the 1438 projects was Rs 20,35,794.75 crore and their anticipated completion cost is likely to be Rs 24,86,069.52 crore, which reflects overall cost overruns of Rs 4,50,274.77 crore (22.12% of original cost),” the ministry’s latest report for December 2022 said.