Putting rest to many speculations about PM Modi’s foreign trips and its expenses, the Prime Minister’s Office finally released expenses incurred on chartered flights of PM Narendra Modi on his foreign trips since he took office in May 2014 till 2016.
The website of PM Modi furnishes all relevant details about the expenses of PM’s foreign trips. Full details are available on www.pmindia.gov.in. Along with the figures, the website also specified the source from which PM’s trips are being funded. The expenses on foreign tours of PM are met out of the budget head “Cabinet Ministers — Maintenance of PM’s aircraft — Other charges” under Demand No. 47.
PM Modi visited 56 countries since assuming charge on May 26, 2014. The Parliament was informed about his trips last month.
NaMo’s domestic visits are funded by the Ministry of Defence.
Indian Air Force’s Boeing Business Jets (BBJs) were used to ferry NaMo and his entourage to Nepal, Singapore, Bangladesh and Iran. Bills for these trips were not available. For all the other trips, chartered flights were used.
Here is the final break up of expenses incurred on PM’s trips.
France, Germany & Canada (9 April – 17 April, 2015) — Rs 31,25,78,000
Myanmar, Fiji, Australia (11 Nov – 20 Nov, 2014) — Rs 22,58,65,000
Brazil (13 July – 17 July, 2014) — Rs 20,35,48,000
USA (25 Sept – 1 Oct, 2014) — Rs 19,04,60,000
USA and Ireland (23 Sept – 29 Sept, 2015) — Rs 18,46,95,000
After first visiting Bhutan in June 2014, PM Modi visited the US four times, and Nepal, Japan, Russia, Afghanistan and China two times each.
PM Modi went to China on a bilateral visit in May 2015 and then again in September 2016 to attend the G20 Summit in Hangzhou. He made bilateral visits to Canada in April 2015 and to Britain in November 2015.
NaMo became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the United Arab Emirates in August 2015 after 34 long years. He attended the G20 Summit in Brisbane, Australia where he stayed back for a bilateral visit.
