The Crossbill News Desk
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s overseas travel has cost the government at least Rs 557.51 crore since 2021, according to data provided by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in Parliament.
The figure covers official foreign visits undertaken by the Prime Minister between 2021 and 2026, although the final expenditure is expected to be higher once pending bills are settled.
The details were provided in a written reply tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday (August 6) in response to an unstarred question from MPs Sanjay Singh and Dr V Sivadasan. The MPs had sought details of Modi’s foreign visits, expenditure incurred on each trip and country-wise information on bilateral agreements and investment commitments resulting from the visits, The Indian Express reported.
According to the MEA, Modi has travelled to countries across Asia, Europe, North America, Africa and the Pacific during the period under review.
The ministry clarified that the expenditure incurred during the France leg of his June 13-18, 2026 visit had not yet been compiled and was therefore excluded from the overall figure. Several other expenditure figures for 2026 are also provisional and will be finalised after all bills are settled.
Among the more expensive overseas trips listed by the government were Modi’s February 2025 visits to France and the United States, which cost Rs 25.59 crore and Rs 16.54 crore respectively. His July 2025 visit to Brazil cost Rs 17.72 crore, while the April 2025 trip to Saudi Arabia cost Rs 15.54 crore. The September 2024 visit to the US cost Rs 15.33 crore, and the June 2024 visit to Italy was estimated at Rs 14.36 crore.
The government defended the expenditure by emphasising the diplomatic and economic importance of high-level foreign visits.
In its response, the MEA said high-level visits by the Prime Minister are an established means of strengthening India’s engagement with foreign countries and promoting bilateral, regional and global cooperation. It said these visits help deepen partnerships across sectors including technology, innovation, trade and investment, defence, energy cooperation and resilient supply chains.
The ministry also provided expenditure figures for selected Prime Ministerial foreign trips from earlier years for comparison. These included Rs 10.74 crore for a visit to the United States in 2011, Rs 9.95 crore for Russia in 2013, Rs 8.33 crore for France in 2011 and Rs 6.02 crore for Germany in 2013.
The MEA cautioned that the older figures represented actual expenditure and had not been adjusted for inflation or currency fluctuations.
With some of the latest travel expenses still provisional, the total of Rs 557.51 crore represents the expenditure accounted for by the government so far rather than a final figure for Modi’s foreign travel since 2021.
The figure covers official foreign visits undertaken by the Prime Minister between 2021 and 2026, although the final expenditure is expected to be higher once pending bills are settled.
The details were provided in a written reply tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday (August 6) in response to an unstarred question from MPs Sanjay Singh and Dr V Sivadasan. The MPs had sought details of Modi’s foreign visits, expenditure incurred on each trip and country-wise information on bilateral agreements and investment commitments resulting from the visits, The Indian Express reported.
According to the MEA, Modi has travelled to countries across Asia, Europe, North America, Africa and the Pacific during the period under review.
The ministry clarified that the expenditure incurred during the France leg of his June 13-18, 2026 visit had not yet been compiled and was therefore excluded from the overall figure. Several other expenditure figures for 2026 are also provisional and will be finalised after all bills are settled.
Among the more expensive overseas trips listed by the government were Modi’s February 2025 visits to France and the United States, which cost Rs 25.59 crore and Rs 16.54 crore respectively. His July 2025 visit to Brazil cost Rs 17.72 crore, while the April 2025 trip to Saudi Arabia cost Rs 15.54 crore. The September 2024 visit to the US cost Rs 15.33 crore, and the June 2024 visit to Italy was estimated at Rs 14.36 crore.
The government defended the expenditure by emphasising the diplomatic and economic importance of high-level foreign visits.
In its response, the MEA said high-level visits by the Prime Minister are an established means of strengthening India’s engagement with foreign countries and promoting bilateral, regional and global cooperation. It said these visits help deepen partnerships across sectors including technology, innovation, trade and investment, defence, energy cooperation and resilient supply chains.
The ministry also provided expenditure figures for selected Prime Ministerial foreign trips from earlier years for comparison. These included Rs 10.74 crore for a visit to the United States in 2011, Rs 9.95 crore for Russia in 2013, Rs 8.33 crore for France in 2011 and Rs 6.02 crore for Germany in 2013.
The MEA cautioned that the older figures represented actual expenditure and had not been adjusted for inflation or currency fluctuations.
With some of the latest travel expenses still provisional, the total of Rs 557.51 crore represents the expenditure accounted for by the government so far rather than a final figure for Modi’s foreign travel since 2021.
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