As many as 448 infrastructure projects, each worth Rs 150 crore or more, have been hit by cost overruns totalling more than Rs 4.02 lakh crore, according to a report. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation monitors infrastructure projects worth Rs 150 crore and above. Of the 1,739 such projects, 448 reported cost overruns and 539 were delayed. “Total original cost of implementation of the 1,739 projects was Rs 22,18,210.29 crore and their anticipated completion cost is likely to be Rs 26,20,618.44 crore, which reflects overall cost overruns of Rs 4,02,408.15 crore (18.14 per cent of original cost),” the ministry’s latest report for January 2021 said.
