5 yrs, 33 foreign trips: Modi's global outreach cost exchequer Rs 362 cr between 2021 & 2025
The Prime Minister made 33 trips abroad from 2021 to 2025, and the Rs 362 crore account for foreign visits up to his tour of five nations earlier this month, the data furnished by MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh shows. The bills for three of Modi's foreign visits in 2025—to Canada, where he attended the G7 summit; to Brazil, where he participated in the BRICS summit; and to Mauritius—are not fully settled, so not not included in the calculations.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign visits from 2021 to 2025 cost the exchequer Rs 362 crore, which does not include expenses of his current trip to the UK and the Maldives or unsettled bills, the Minister of State for External Affairs of India informed the Rajya Sabha Thursday.
Among these trips, his February tour to France and the United States incurred the highest costs this year. Starting 10 February and lasting till 12 February, his visit to France cost the exchequer Rs 25.59 crore. In the period, Modi co-chaired an Artificial Intelligence Action Summit. On 13 February, he visited the US, and the one-day trip cost Rs 16.54 crore.
In France, this year, Modi had at least nine engagements, including the inauguration of the new Indian consulate in Marseille and a scheduled visit to Mazargues War Cemetery. He also had bilateral engagements with French President Emmanuel Macron. In the US, Modi had bilateral engagements with President Donald Trump, followed by dinner. He also held several meetings with American personalities, including Elon Musk, as well as officials.
Modi travelled to the US in 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025, visits that have cumulatively cost Rs 74.41 crore.
Among his 2025 trips, the visit to Thailand and Sri Lanka cost slightly over Rs 9 crore. On the other hand, his trip to Saudi Arabia alone cost the exchequer Rs 15.54 crore. Modi, however, had to cut short the trip to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah due to the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack. He returned to India before completing the planned two-day visit.
His 11 foreign trips in 2024 cost the exchequer Rs 109.5 crore and included visits to 17 countries. At Rs 15.3 crore, a three-day US tour, starting from 21 September 2024, was the most expensive that year. The PM also took his first foreign trip in his third term in 2024, visiting Italy for the G7 summit. It cost Rs 14.36 crore.
Overall, 2024 was the second-most expensive year—in terms of the combined cost of his foreign trips—after 2025.
In 2023, the Prime Minister travelled to 11 countries across six trips, costing the exchequer Rs 93.6 crore. In that year, Modi toured Japan, the United States, and France, spending Rs 17.1 crore, Rs 22.8 crore, and Rs 13.74 crore, respectively.
In 2021 and 2022, the PM travelled to 14 countries across 10 trips. The two years combined saw the Centre pay out over Rs 90 crore.
On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Prime Minister visited Bangladesh, the US, Italy and the UK across three trips in 2021.
In 2022, the PM made seven international visits, covering 10 nations, such as Germany, Denmark, France, Nepal, the UAE, and Indonesia.
Over the years, international summits, including the 2021 G20 Summit hosted by Italy, the 2022 G20 Summit in Indonesia, and the 2024 G20 Summit in Brazil, have necessitated many such foreign trips. The PM, during these travels, usually visits another country or two, whenever possible.
Other summits the Prime Minister regularly attends include the East Asian Summit and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings in Southeast Asia. In 2022, the former Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar—instead of the Prime Minister—represented India at these summits, then held in Cambodia.
In 2023 and 2024, the PM travelled to Indonesia and the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), respectively, for annual summits.
In 2022, Modi visited Uzbekistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meet of heads of State. He did not attend its 2024 edition. India hosted the SCO in virtual format in 2023.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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