In New Delhi, on March 25, a report by the government for February 2026 revealed that several infrastructure projects worth over ₹150 crore each had incurred a cumulative cost overrun of ₹5.66 trillion.
The latest "Flash Report on Central Sector Infrastructure Projects" showed that the revised cost of all 1,948 projects, each valued at ₹150 crore or more, monitored by the Ministry of Statistics, stood at ₹41,98,684 crore, compared to their original cost of ₹36,32,088 crore.
The report did not specify the exact number of projects facing cost overruns.
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) stated that, as of February 2026, 1,948 ongoing infrastructure projects, with a total revised cost of ₹41.98 lakh crore, were being monitored across 17 central ministries/departments.
The cumulative expenditure on these projects amounted to ₹19.71 lakh crore, representing approximately 46.95 per cent of the revised project cost, indicating steady progress in project implementation.
A significant proportion of projects were at advanced stages, with 740 projects (38 per cent) achieving over 80 per cent physical progress, while 250 (13 per cent) had exceeded 80 per cent financial completion.
The data also reflected a balanced pipeline, with projects distributed across early and advanced stages of implementation.
The Transport and Logistics sector accounted for the highest number of ongoing projects (1,421 projects), with revised estimates of ₹22.96 lakh crore, highlighting the priority given to connectivity-driven infrastructure growth.
The total 1,948 ongoing infrastructure projects included 793 Mega projects (projects with a cost of ₹1,000 crore or more), with an original cost of ₹30.93 lakh crore, and 1,155 major projects (projects with a cost below ₹1,000 crore and up to ₹150 crore), amounting to ₹5.39 lakh crore.
Physical and financial progress generally moved in tandem, with a large number of projects concentrated in the initial (0–20 per cent) and advanced (81–100 per cent) stages, indicating a pipeline of newly-started projects alongside many nearing completion.
While physical progress exceeded financial progress in the 81–100 per cent range, financial progress was relatively higher in the early stages, reflecting the upfront expenditure patterns in project implementation.
The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways accounted for the highest number of projects, with 1,108 projects (56.88 per cent), and a share of total project cost of ₹10.51 lakh crore (25.05 per cent), highlighting its central role in national infrastructure development.
The Ministry of Railways was implementing 245 projects (12.58 per cent), and also commanded the largest share of total project cost at ₹8.39 lakh crore (20 per cent).
The coal ministry was implementing 128 projects (6.57 per cent), with a total project cost of ₹2.4 lakh crore (5.88 per cent).
The Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Ministry of Power, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, and the Department of Water Resources, River Development & GR were implementing 113, 101, 55, and 49 projects, with associated costs of ₹5.15 lakh crore, ₹5.25 lakh crore, ₹3.95 lakh crore, and ₹2.25 lakh crore, respectively.
The remaining 149 projects (7.64 per cent), with a total cost of ₹3.98 lakh crore (10 per cent), were distributed across various ministries/departments, including Higher Education, Civil Aviation, Steel, Telecommunications, Labour & Employment, Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Health & Family Welfare, Mines, DPIIT, and Sports.
Transport and Logistics remained the dominant sector, accounting for 55 per cent of the total revised project cost (₹22.96 lakh crore) across 1,421 projects (73 per cent of the total projects), underscoring the central role of roads & highways, railways, aviation, urban public transport, shipping, and inland waterways in economic integration and logistics efficiency.
The energy sector followed with 26 per cent of the aggregated revised cost (₹10.95 lakh crore) across 220 projects, reflecting sustained emphasis on oil & gas infrastructure, electricity generation, transmission and distribution networks, and energy storage systems.
Communication infrastructure, with a project cost of ₹2.74 lakh crore (7 per cent) across 14 projects, represented targeted interventions aimed at strengthening digital connectivity.
Water and sanitation projects accounted for ₹2.31 lakh crore (5 per cent) across 71 projects, highlighting continued focus on essential urban services.
Social and commercial infrastructure, comprising 74 projects with a revised project cost of ₹0.79 lakh crore (2 per cent), reflected selective investments in education, healthcare, real estate, and tourism, hospitality, and wellness.
Projects classified under ‘Others’, amounting to ₹2.22 lakh crore (5 per cent) across 148 projects, indicated diversification across sectors, such as coal, steel, metals, and mining.
During February 2026, 9 projects were commissioned, including major assets in railway and petroleum & natural gas. Notable commissioned projects included the "Trivandrum - Kanyakumari" (₹3,785.45 crore) and the "PP Project, Pata" (₹1,299.02 crore).
During February 2026, 268 additional projects were brought under the monitoring of PAIMANA.
Of these, 258 were from the Ministry of Road Transport & Highway, 6 were from the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, and 2 each from the Department of Water Resources, River Development & GR and the Ministry of Coal.
These included the Project - Petro Resid Fluidized Catalytic Cracking (PRFCC) Unit and its associated facilities at Mumbai Refinery (₹13,626 crore) of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and the Project – "Ken-Betwa Linking Development Project" (₹21,030 crore) of the Department of Water Resources, River Development & GR.
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