Upkeep of Union ministers’ Delhi homes reached ₹92.35 crore last year

Union ministers’ official residences in Delhi drew ₹92.35 crore in repair, renovation and furnishing expenditure in 2025-26, the highest annual spend in the past 12 years.

An RTI response shows the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) spent ₹547.68 crore on this work from 2014-15 to 2025-26. Spending was ₹71.98 crore in 2024-25 and ₹27.47 crore in 2014-15. From 2014 to 2019, annual expenditure averaged ₹26.78 crore; from 2019 to 2024, it rose to nearly ₹50 crore a year.

The residences are largely colonial-era bungalows, many between 80 and 100 years old, set across large compounds in central Delhi. CPWD officials have identified seepage, termite infestation, ageing electrical systems and plumbing as recurring maintenance issues. Some buildings have required upgrades after becoming structurally unsafe.

The Union council of ministers has generally had around 70 to 72 members. At last year’s total, the average works out to about ₹1.2 crore per minister, though spending differs between residences. The figures do not cover homes allotted to non-minister MPs or ministers’ offices.