Prime Minister Modi Has Spent Rs 2,000 Crore on Foreign Trips in 4.5 Years
MoS External Affairs VK Singh disclosed the amount in response to a question in the Lok Sabha.
In response to a question posed in the Lok Sabha during the winter session of the parliament, Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh has reportedly said that a total of about $280 million dollars, or Rs 2,000 crore, has been spent on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign trips in the last 4.5 years.
Singh said in his reply that the amount was spent on 84 trips taken by the Prime Minister, reported Business Standard. The report read, “Narendra Modi’s hectic travel schedule over the past four-and-a-half years cost Indian taxpayers about $280 million (Rs 20.09 billion taking the value of rupee as 71.76 per dollar).”
The amount reportedly includes the cost of maintenance of Air India One as well as the cost of setting up a hotline.
The Prime Minister’s globe-trotting has been the centre of much controversy. Between June 15, 2014 and June 10, 2018, PM Modi’s foreign trips have cost the exchequer Rs 1,484 crore. Out of this, Rs 387.26 crore was spent on chartered flights alone, and Rs 1,088.42 crore was spent on the maintenance of the PM’s aircraft.