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Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita has informed the Rajya Sabha that the expenditure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign visits has reached over Rs 74.58 crore in 2026 so far, while the cumulative spending on his overseas visits since 2021 stands at more than Rs 550 crore.
In a written reply, Margherita stated that the highest expenditure among the visits for which figures are available this year was incurred during the Norway leg of the Prime Minister’s five-nation tour in May at Rs 17.46 crore.
According to the data tabled in the House, expenditure on some of the major visits in 2025 included France (Rs 25.59 crore), Brazil (Rs 17.72 crore), the US (Rs 16.54 crore), Saudi Arabia (Rs 15.54 crore), China (Rs 10.59 crore) and the UK (Rs 9.91 crore).
Besides these countries, Modi visited Mauritius, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Cyprus, Canada, Croatia, Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Namibia, Maldives, Japan, Bhutan, South Africa, Jordan, Oman and Ethiopia during the year.
As reported by PTI, According to the reply, expenditure on the Prime Minister’s foreign visits was over Rs 180 crore in 2025, Rs 109 crore in 2024, Rs 93 crore in 2023, Rs 55 crore in 2022 and Rs 36 crore in 2021.
The Ministry also noted that several expenditure figures for 2026 are provisional and will be finalised after settlement of bills, while expenditure for the France visit in June is still being compiled.
Responding to a separate query on the outcomes of these visits, Margherita said high-level engagements helped strengthen India’s ties across multiple sectors.
“High level visits by the Prime Minister are established means of fostering closer relations with foreign countries and promoting India’s engagements at bilateral, regional and global levels.
These visits, and the understandings and agreements concluded therein facilitate the strengthening of partnerships across a wide range of sectors, including technology, innovation, trade and investment, defence and energy cooperation, and resilient supply chains, among others,” Margherita said.
