India's central ministries report ₹2.88 trillion cost overruns in August infrastructure projects

In its August 2026 update, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation tracked 1,731 infrastructure initiatives spanning 17 central ministries and departments. The combined revised budget now stands at Rs 33,60,069 crore, up from Rs 30,71,947 crore originally planned, resulting in an aggregate cost overrun of approximately Rs 2,88,122 crore for projects exceeding Rs 150 crore each. Expenditure to date totals Rs 16.33 lakh crore, representing about 48.6 percent of the revised outlay, indicating steady implementation progress.

Physical progress is high, with 647 projects over 80 percent complete, while 312 have reached similar levels of financial spending. The Transport & Logistics sector dominates the pipeline, accounting for 48 percent of revised costs, followed by energy, water, and communications sectors.