An RTI has revealed that the PM Narendra Modi made a total of 41 trips to 52 countries in 48 months of his tenure. That makes it 165 days abroad during his 4-year tenure – an indulgence that cost the exchequer Rs 355 crores.
The information was revealed after an RTI activist from Bengaluru submitted a query regarding the prime minister’s foreign visit. The prime minister has spent a cumulative 165 days abroad during his tenure.
The PM splurged the most on his nine-day tri-nation visit to France, Germany and Canada between April 9 and 15, 2015, with the bill coming to a whooping Rs 31,25,78,000; the least expensive for the nation was the trip to Bhutan — at Rs 2,45,27,465. The RTI activist was, however, denied details of the PM’s domestic trips and the cost that the elaborate security entailed. The PMO argued that since SPG is not in the purview of the RTI, it is not obliged to share this information.
Incidentally, the website of Prime Minister’s Office has also posted the list and details of the foreign trips by PM Modi in the last 48 months. While expenses incurred on chartered flights have been mentioned for 30 trips, 12 such trips are yet to be billed.
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As against this, between 2004 & 2014, when Manmohan Singh was the prime minister, he made a total of 80 foreign trips spanning 303 days. He made at least 10 trips in each of the years 2005, 2009, 2011 and 2013. He made at least 5 foreign trips in every year of his tenure, except in 2012 and 2014. In fact, Narendra Modi made more foreign trips in his first 3 years as the prime minister than Manmohan Singh made either during his entire first term as PM (2004-2009) or his entire second term (2009-14).
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