Since 2014 PM Modi’s Foreign Trips Have Cost Taxpayers Over Rs 2,000 Cr

We all know about our Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s extremely busy and hectic travel schedule in the past four-and-a-half years. But, what we do not know is that how much those foreign trips have cost on the taxpayer’s pockets. So, according to the data provided by Minister of State for External Affairs, PM Modi’s abroad trips since 2014 have cost over Rs 2,000 crore.

From Taxpayers money

On December 3, Thursday, while responding to the question raised by a Member of Parliament on Modi’s abroad trip, Minister of State for External Affairs V.K Singh provided the details of Modi’s trips between June 15, 2014, and December 3, 2018, in the Rajya Sabha.

The detailed report that has been provided includes a break up on the money spent on each trip. It has been divided into three categories and has given an account of money spent from June 2014 to June 2018. According to the report, a sum of Rs 1,583.18 crore was spent on maintenance of the PM’s aircraft, followed by Rs 429.28 was spent to hire chartered flights and for the hotline facilities Rs 9.12 crore was paid by the government. However, the cost of a secure hotline (Point-to-point communication link) from May 2017 to December 2018 has not been provided by the minister, reports The Scroll.

The minister from Communist Party of India, MP Binoy Viswam previously had asked Singh to provide for the number and names of countries that PM Modi has visited since he came to power in 2014. He had also asked for the list of names of the ministers who had accompanied PM Modi during the abroad visits. Further, Viswam has also sought for the details of agreements signed by Modi, and the amount paid to Air India for his travel.

84 trips in Four years

Earlier this year, Singh had already informed the Rajya Sabha that since June 15, 2014, to June 10, 2018, the government had spent Rs 1,484 crore for PM’s visits to 84 countries. In his new report that was given on Thursday, he added that from June 10 to December 3, 2018, the PM had made six trips.

Since the time PM Modi has taken charge of the office, he has gone on several abroad trips and has met many global leaders. However, the opposition has criticised the PM for his reoccurring foreign trips.

Earlier this month, Modi had met U.S. President Donald Trump in the first trilateral meeting between the countries on the sidelines of the G20 summit had happened in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In April this year, Modi had met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan. He has also met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe multiple times, and the list includes meeting with many more global leaders.

Also Read: India Received $19.78 Billion FDI From Nations Visited By Narendra Modi In FY15