Do you wish you could just sit in your own private plane and travel all across the world? Well, you’re not alone. And our Prime Minister Narendra Modi is giving us serious travel goals. PM Modi visited 58 countries in the last 5 years at a total cost of ₹517 crore. Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan announced this on September 22 in a written response to a question raised in the Rajya Sabha. V Muraleedharan also listed the countries visited by PM Modi from March 2015 to November 2019. He also gave details of treaties and agreements signed by India during these visits.
PM Modi Visited 58 Countries In 5 Years Incurring ₹517 Crore
Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last 5 years covered 58 countries at a total expenditure of ₹517 crore. Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan stated that the Prime Minister visited the USA and Russia the most, five times each. PM Modi also travelled to China five times. India is engaged in a serious and continuous stand-off with China in eastern Ladakh.
The Prime Minister also visited Singapore, Germany, France, the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka since 2015. News agency PTI reported that the total expenditure on these visits was ₹517.82 crore. V Muraleedharan stated that some these visits were part of multi-nation trips and others were standalone bilateral visits. PM Modi’s last trip abroad was to Brazil in November last year. He attended a BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit there.
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PM Modi Didn’t Travel Anywhere Abroad In 2020 Due To COVID-19 Pandemic
He also travelled to Thailand earlier that month. However, due to the global lockdown induced by then COVID-19 pandemic, he didn’t travel anywhere since 2020. Mr Muraleedharan informed the parliament that the Prime Minister’s visits enhanced other countries’ understanding of India’s perspective on global, regional and bilateral issues. The visits also helped strengthen economic relations across a wide range of sector. This includes investment, trade, technology, defence collaboration and people-to-people contact.
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On the contrary, in December 2018, the government announced that it spent over ₹2,000 crore on the PM’s foreign visits since June 2014. It said this includes expenses on chartered flights, hotline facilities and maintenance of the aircraft. Many have praised the PM’s visits for boosting India’s profile abroad and generating FDI ( foreign direct investment). However the opposition has sometimes criticised the costs involved and questioning the timing. Well, we have to agree on one thing, the PM has certainly travelled the world covering 58 countries in just 5 years. Now that’s some travel out there! Interestingly, a Delhi restaurant offered a 56-inch Modi Ji Thali.
First Published: September 23, 2020 11:23 AM