New Delhi: As many as 379 projects, entailing an investment of Rs 150 crore and above, have been hit by cost overruns of more than Rs 4.64 lakh crore in April 2023.According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, which monitors infrastructure projects worth Rs 150 crore and above, out of 1,605 projects, 379 reported cost overruns and as many as 800 projects were delayed.“Total original cost of implementation of the 1,605 projects was Rs 22,85,674.25 crore and their anticipated completion cost is likely to be Rs 27,50,591.38 crore, which reflects overall cost overruns of Rs 4,64,917.13 crore (20.34% of original cost),” the ministry’s report for April 2023 said.According to the report, the expenditure incurred on these projects till April 2023 was Rs 14.13 lakh crore, which was 51.39% of the anticipated cost of the projects.Also read: 56.3% Union Govt Projects Delayed, Highest in 2 Decades, 22% Cost Overrun: ReportOut of the 800 delayed projects, 194 have overall delays in the range of one to 12 months, 175 have been delayed for 13-24 months, 306 projects for 25-60 months and 125 projects have been delayed for more than 60 months.The average time overrun in these 800 delayed projects was 37.07 months. Delay in land acquisition, delay in obtaining forest and environment clearances, and lack of infrastructure support and linkages were some of the reasons for time overruns as reported by various project implementing agencies, the report added.According to PTI, the report also cited COVID-19 lockdowns, imposed in 2020 and 2021, as a reason for the delay in implementation of these projects.