Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the new Parliament building on May 28, 2023. The building was under construction for the last three years as part of the ambitious Rs 20,000 crore Central Vista plan.
The government had decided to build the new Parliament after assessing that the old building was in need of several changes to accommodate Members of Parliament.
The Central Vista plan aims to undertake several projects to revamp the government infrastructure in the national capital which has not seen significant changes for several decades. The master plan of the project was conceived in September 2019, few months before the Covid-19 pandemic began.
But a key question arises when talking about the Central Vista plan, how much did the government spend to build the new Parliament?
The tender to build the new Parliament was won by Tata Group. According to the official Central Vista website, Rs 862 crore was the initial cost of the project.
However, a reply by government in Lok Sabha in 2021 showed that the estimated cost of the project went up to Rs 971 crore.
Reportedly, this was not the only time the cost of the project went up. According to a NDTV report published in January 2022, the budgeted cost saw a hike which took the total amount over Rs 1,250 crore.
As the money came from government's budget, it is ultimately the Indian taxpayers who have paid for the project.
In the Lok Sabha reply, the government argued that the Central Vista project has provided “direct livelihood opportunities to more than 10,000 skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers on site and off site”.
This has, according to the government, generated over 24.12 lakh man-days of employment.
Along with the new Parliament building, Central Vista plan will undertake construction of official residences for the Hon’ble VP and PM of India, 10 buildings of the Common Central Secretariat and facilities for security officials, among others.
The projects will be completed in a phased manner till 2026, the official website of Central Vista plan informed.
