Housing Ministry Spends Rs 2.3 Cr Monthly on Consultants

03 Dec 2024 CW Team

Consultants and private domain experts have become indispensable for many government departments, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is no exception. The ministry spends around Rs 2.3 crore every month to compensate 112 consultants engaged in various high-priority initiatives. According to the ministry's submission to the Rajya Sabha, some consultants earn between Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. Among the most heavily staffed projects is the PM SVANidhi scheme, which offers subsidised loans to street vendors who were affected by the Covid-19 lockdown. Initially introduced to support these vendors, the scheme has now been expanded to include social security and welfare benefits for its beneficiaries.

In response to a query by TMC lawmaker Saket Gokhale, the housing ministry revealed that 18 consultants work on the Smart City Mission, while 16 are engaged with the PM Awas Yojna (Urban) project. A former secretary in the central government, speaking with TOI, noted that while consultants bring fresh ideas and aid in managing complex programs, there has been an over-reliance on large consultancy firms in recent years. He raised concerns that government officers now depend on these firms for even basic tasks, like preparing presentations for cabinet proposals, a trend that undermines institutional knowledge. This issue was discussed during a meeting of all secretaries chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where officials expressed worries about whether top bureaucrats, with their experience, should still rely on consultants for support.

Real Estate

02 Apr 2026

Indian real estate attracts USD 1.4 bn institutional investments in Q1 2026: Vestian

Institutional investments in India’s real estate sector touched USD 1.4 billion in Q1 2026, marking the highest first-quarter inflow since 2022, according to Vestian. While investments fell 62 per cent quarter-on-quarter due to an exceptionally high base in the previous quarter, they rose 74 per cent compared to the same period last year, reflecting sustained investor confidence despite rising geopolitical and macroeconomic challenges.Commercial real estate remained the key driver of investment activity during the quarter, accounting for 80 per cent of total inflows, sharply higher than 38 p..

VECV crosses 1 lakh annual vehicle sales milestone in FY26

VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV), a joint venture between Volvo Group and Eicher Motors, has surpassed the 1 lakh annual sales mark in FY 2025–26, recording its highest-ever commercial vehicle sales performance. The company said it sold more than 100,000 vehicles during the year, marking a major milestone aligned with the original vision of the Volvo–Eicher joint venture.The strong performance was supported by demand across categories. Light and Medium Duty (LMD) trucks contributed 47,789 units, accounting for 46.1 per cent of total sales. Heavy Duty (HD) trucks recorded 26,867 units (25.9 pe..

Rodic Digital & Advisory partners SatSure to deploy EO intelligence in public sector

Rodic Digital & Advisory (RDA), the strategic advisory and digital transformation arm of Rodic Consultants, has signed a strategic cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SatSure to jointly pursue opportunities in India’s public sector. The collaboration aims to integrate high-resolution Earth Observation (EO) data and geospatial AI into government workflows to strengthen monitoring, compliance, and operational decision-making across key sectors.The partnership combines SatSure’s Earth intelligence capabilities with RDA’s expertise in government digital transformation and ..