Fact Check: Is TATA group charging only one rupee for constructing Parliament?

Several images showing the interiors of the new Parliament are being shared with the claim that the TATA group built the Parliament as a 'gift to the nation' by charging the government only one rupee and has finished the project in 17 months.

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Fact Check

NewsMeter found that several claims, about completing construction in 17 months and TATA charging one rupee for its construction, are false.

According to a response by the Minster of Housing and Urban Affairs in Lok Sabha on December 9 2021, the estimated cost of the new Parliament building is Rs 971 crores and is expected to be completed by October 2022.

We ran a keyword search and came across several news reports from September 2020 which said that Tata Projects Limited had won the bid to construct a new Parliament building at Rs 861.90 crore. It also said that the construction of the new Parliament comes under the Central Vista redevelopment project and is expected to complete in 21 months.

A Mint report said financial bids for the construction of the new Parliament building were opened by Central Public Works Department (CPWD).

Revised budget

An NDTV report from January 20, 2022, said that the construction budget has shot up by 29 per cent, making the estimated budget over Rs 1,250 crore.

Inauguration

Finally, we came across a report by The Economics Times published on April 3, 2023, which carried several pictures of Modi inspecting the various works of the new Parliament. The report also stated that the construction work is in its final stages and is likely to be inaugurated soon.

Hence, we conclude that the claims regarding the expenditure and time frame of the Parliament’s construction are false.