The Indian government has disclosed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign visits from 2021 to 2025 have cost the exchequer over ₹350 crore — and the final figure could climb further, as bills for trips between March and July 2025 remain pending. The data, shared by the Ministry of External Affairs in response to a query by TMC MP Derek O’Brien, has reignited public debate over the scale and frequency of the Prime Minister’s international travel.
Between February and April 2024 alone, ₹67 crore was spent on visits to the U.S., France, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Mauritius — with the France-U.S. tour costing ₹25.59 crore. Other high-expense visits in 2024 included Italy (₹14.36 crore), Poland (₹10.10 crore), Singapore (₹7.75 crore), and Russia (₹5.34 crore). Trips to Kuwait, Austria, UAE-Qatar, and Bhutan also racked up crores in expenses.
The report also detailed travel costs from May to December 2023, when PM Modi visited 11 nations. Key figures include ₹22.89 crore for the U.S., ₹17.19 crore for Japan, and ₹13.74 crore for France. Notably, recent trips to countries like Brazil, Canada, Namibia, and Argentina have not yet been accounted for.
As India navigates economic and social challenges at home, the steep and rising cost of these diplomatic journeys has stirred political reactions and raised fresh questions about government spending priorities.
