Over ₹557 Crore Spent on PM Narendra Modi's Foreign Trips Since 2021, Govt Reveals in Parliament

Official visits abroad by Prime Minister Narendra Modi have cost the public exchequer over ₹557.5 crore since 2021, the Union government informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

In a written response to parliamentary queries, Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita laid out the year-by-year financial footprint of the Prime Minister's global diplomatic schedule. The figures show a sharp upward trajectory in travel spending as bilateral engagements and international summits bounced back to full momentum following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Year-by-Year Spending Breakdown

Government records show that foreign travel expenditure dipped during the pandemic era before picking up rapidly over subsequent years.

• 2021: ₹36.1 crore across 3 overseas visits

• 2022: ₹55.8 crore across 7 visits

• 2023: ₹93.6 crore across 6 visits

• 2024: ₹109.5 crore across 11 visits

• 2025: ₹187.8 crore across 11 visits

• 2026 (To date): ₹74.5 crore across 6 tours covering 13 countries

The single most expensive leg of travel recorded during this period was the Prime Minister's trip to the United States in February 2025, which logged an overall bill exceeding ₹25.5 crore. For the current year, the highest spending was recorded during the Norway visit in May, amounting to ₹17.46 crore.

How Foreign Visit Funds Are Allocated

Responding to queries regarding itemised breakdowns for accommodation, transport, and security hardware, the External Affairs Ministry clarified that figures are submitted to Parliament as composite, country-wise totals.

The Ministry highlighted that host governments traditionally extend state guest status to the Prime Minister, covering core local hospitality. However, the Indian government incurs overall operational costs necessary to support high-level state visits.

These comprehensive expenses cover:

• Delegation logistics, including official, security, and media contingents

• Specialized air and ground transportation arrangements

• Operational hardware, venue rentals, and advance security setups

• Administrative, communication, and contingency overheads

Diplomatic and Economic Returns

Defending the expenditure, the government emphasized that high-level prime ministerial visits remain a cornerstone of India's global strategy, directly driving foreign direct investment (FDI) and bilateral trade partnerships.

According to the Ministry, India signed 316 bilateral Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and pacts between July 2021 and recent months, covering critical sectors such as defence technology, semiconductor supply chains, digital public infrastructure, and clean energy. Over a similar period spanning April 2021 to December 2025, the country registered total FDI inflows worth $381.8 billion.