Over Rs 20 billion spent on PM Modi's foreign travels since 2014: Govt

An expenditure of over Rs 20.21 billion was incurred on chartered flights, maintenance of aircraft and hotline facilities during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visits to foreign countries since June 2014, according to the government.

Replying to queries on the issue in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh also listed the countries visited by the prime minister between 2014 and 2018 that now figure among the top 10 countries from where India has received the maximum FDI inflows.

The Foreign Direct Investments grew from $30,930.5 million in 2014, to $43,478.27 million in 2017, the minister said.

According to the data provided by the minister, an expenditure of over Rs 13.46 billion was incurred on chartered flights, maintenance of aircraft and hotline facilities during Manmohan Singh's foreign visits from 2009-10 till 2013-14 during UPA-II.

The details were shared by Singh in reply to questions on official foreign tours of Manmohan Singh during his second term as prime minister from 2009 to 2014 and of Modi since 2014.

According to the data, a total of Rs 15.83 billion was spent on maintenance of the prime minister's aircraft and Rs 4.29 billion on chartered flights during the period between June 15, 2014 and December 3, 2018. The total expenditure on hotline was Rs 91.1 million.

Modi visited over 55 countries in 48 foreign trips since taking over as prime minister in May 2014. He made multiple visits to some countries.

The details provided by V K Singh did not include the expenditure on hotline facilities during Modi's foreign visits in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

The cost for chartered flights to overseas destinations in 2014-15 was Rs 937.6 million, while in 2015-16, it was Rs 1.17 billion. In 2016-17, the cost was Rs 762.7 million and in 2017-18, the expense on chartered flight was Rs 993.2 million.

The cost for chartered flights to overseas destinations in 2018-19 till December 3 has been Rs 420.1 million.

To a question on the details of investment received from the countries visited by Modi, Singh listed the countries visited by the prime minister between 2014 and 2018 that now figure among the top 10 countries from where India has received the maximum FDI inflows.

The cumulative FDI inflows between 2014 and June 2018 stood at $136,077.75 million, compared to $81,843.71 million recorded cumulatively for the years between 2011 and 2014, the minister said.