New Parliament Building: Total Cost, Time and Features

Ahead of the inauguration of the new Parliament building in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday placed Tamil Nadu’s historic sceptre Sengol near the Lok Sabha Speaker’s chair on Sunday. New Parliament Building: Total Cost, Time and Features.

PM Modi and LS Speaker Om Birla participated in an early morning puja and also honoured workers who built the Parliament building. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new Parliament building at around 12 noon today. The historic ceremony will begin with puja and havan and conclude with a speech by PM Modi.

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.

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 some report the budgeted cost saw a hike which took the total amount over Rs 1,250 crore. 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. 

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From 7:30 AM, the ceremony of the new Parliament building will kickstart. Puja and havan will be conducted for at least an hour at the new Parliament. A specially decorated pandal near the Gandhi idol will serve as the venue for the sacred ritual.

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Following the puja, a historical artifact, ‘Sengol’ will be installed near the Speaker’s chair. The Sengol, a sceptre with a significant historical background from Tamil Nadu, symbolises the transfer of power. Sengol will be installed between 8:30 AM and 9 AM (IST).

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After 9 AM, a prayer meeting will start, graced by the presence of eminent scholars, pundits, and saints, including the revered Shankaracharya. At 12 noon, the official inauguration will commence, accompanied by the national anthem.