360 projects report cost overruns of Rs 3.88 tn

01 Nov 2019 CW Team

The report states that the original estimated cost of all the projects is approximately Rs 19.18 trillion. Completion cost is now expected to be around Rs 23.05 trillion. This amounts to cost overruns of around 20.23 per cent from the original cost. Additionally, the report included the number of projects that had crossed their deadlines; these amounted to 550. The average time overrun for all 550 projects was reported to be 39.24 months.

Escalations in time could be caused by issues relating to obtaining forest clearances, acquiring required land and supply of equipment. According to the report, developers also face additional constraints because of funding, geographical conditions, labour issues and court cases, among other reasons.

“Project implementation in certain infrastructure sectors continues to remain challenging, with many projects witnessing significant time and cost overruns,” says Shubham Jain, Group Head & Senior Vice-President, Corporate Ratings, ICRA. “As per the recent data available, the aggregate cost overrun for all major ongoing infrastructure projects as a percentage of original cost had increased to over 20 per cent—the highest in about eight years. Two key sectors—railways and power—have contributed to the majority of the cost overruns. This is despite the various reform measures undertaken by the Government. Delays in land acquisition, the difficulty faced in project financing, and increasing cost of land acquisition have been some of the key reasons behind the time and cost overruns.”

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), charged with the responsibility of monitoring infrastructure projects worth Rs 1.5 billion or more, has released a report for June 2019, according to which, out of a total 1,608 projects, more than 360 have shown cost overruns to the tune of Rs 3.88 trillion. The report states that the original estimated cost of all the projects is approximately Rs 19.18 trillion. Completion cost is now expected to be around Rs 23.05 trillion. This amounts to cost overruns of around 20.23 per cent from the original cost. Additionally, the report included the number of projects that had crossed their deadlines; these amounted to 550. The average time overrun for all 550 projects was reported to be 39.24 months. Escalations in time could be caused by issues relating to obtaining forest clearances, acquiring required land and supply of equipment. According to the report, developers also face additional constraints because of funding, geographical conditions, labour issues and court cases, among other reasons. “Project implementation in certain infrastructure sectors continues to remain challenging, with many projects witnessing significant time and cost overruns,” says Shubham Jain, Group Head & Senior Vice-President, Corporate Ratings, ICRA. “As per the recent data available, the aggregate cost overrun for all major ongoing infrastructure projects as a percentage of original cost had increased to over 20 per cent—the highest in about eight years. Two key sectors—railways and power—have contributed to the majority of the cost overruns. This is despite the various reform measures undertaken by the Government. Delays in land acquisition, the difficulty faced in project financing, and increasing cost of land acquisition have been some of the key reasons behind the time and cost overruns.”

Infrastructure Urban

30 Jul 2026

Centre Clears Power Distribution Upgrade for Uttar Pradesh

The Central Government has approved power distribution projects worth Rs 407.39 billion for Uttar Pradesh under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). The investment will be used to modernise the state's electricity distribution infrastructure and strengthen network capacity across urban and rural areas. The package targets one of the country's largest distribution networks as the state experiences rapid urbanisation and rising electricity consumption. Planned interventions include the strengthening of distribution lines, modernisation of substations, replacement of ageing electrical ..

Infrastructure Energy

30 Jul 2026

India Data Centres To Consume 191 TWh By 2040 Driving Renewables

A Wood Mackenzie report says India's operational data centre capacity is projected to increase more than fivefold to 12 gigawatt (GW) by 2030 from 2.2 GW in 2025 as artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing drive demand. It projects electricity consumption to rise from 10 terawatt-hour (TWh) in 2025 to 191 TWh by 2040. The study forecasts a compound annual growth rate of around 40 per cent and notes AI-dedicated capacity will surge nearly 24-fold from 275 megawatt (MW) in 2025 to 6,546 MW by 2030. The report places India's digital economy at Rs 32 trillion (tn) in 2025 and says it contr..

Infrastructure Transport

30 Jul 2026

Hydrogen Train Completes 1,200 Kilometres Of Trials

India's first hydrogen train was flagged off between Jind and Sonipat on July 17 and has travelled over 1,200 kilometres in trials, saving diesel consumption of more than 3,200 litres, a Railway Ministry press release said. The deployment marks the introduction of a zero-emission fuel cell train into route testing and represents a milestone in domestic rail innovation. The train generates electricity onboard through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, producing electricity to propel the vehicle while emitting only water vapour as a by-product. There is no smoke and no tailpipe car..