PM Narendra Modi's foreign travel expenditure lowest in 2017

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign travel expenditure has been the lowest so far in 2017, according to the latest numbers made available by the government. The cost for chartered flights to overseas destinations in 2017 was Rs 765 million, which was even lower than the foreign travel expenditure during 2014 when Modi took over as the PM on May 26. For the seven months in 2014 (June to December), the PM’s foreign travel expenditure was pegged at Rs 779 million. 

Last year’s expenditure was half of that incurred in 2016 towards the PM’s foreign travel at Rs 1.52 billion. The year before that, in 2015, Modi’s foreign travel expenses were at Rs 1.34 billion. The PM went on seven overseas trips in 2017, compared with eight in 2016, 12 in 2015 and seven in 2014. So far in the current year, the PM has completed two overseas trips, expenditure for which has not been revealed yet.

In 2014, over a period of seven months, PM Modi was out of the country for 35 days. The number rose to 57 days in 2015 and then dipped to 29 in 2016, before inching up to 32 in 2017. This year, the PM has travelled out for six days so far, but several overseas trips are lined up in the coming months. 

PM Modi’s most expensive overseas trip so far was in April 2015 when he travelled to France, Germany and Canada. The bill: Rs 312.5 million. The cheapest foreign trip for Modi was his first as the PM to Bhutan in June 2014. The expenditure came to Rs 24.5 million. In 2014, the PM’s most expensive trip was at Rs 203.5 million when he travelled to Brazil. 

While the highest spend in 2015 was Rs 312.5 million for a trip to Europe and Canada, the lowest that year was Rs 59 million in August when he travelled to UAE. In 2016, the PM’s trip to Belgium, US and Saudi Arabia cost the exchequer the most that year at Rs 158.5 million, the lowest spend was for a trip to Laos in September 2016 for just Rs 48 million. In 2017, the maximum foreign travel expenditure was in May-June for a trip to Germany, Spain, Russia and France for Rs 165 million, while the least spend was incurred during the same month for a trip to Sri Lanka at Rs 52.4 million.