Rs 74.5 crore on foreign trips: What Centre told Rajya Sabha about PM Modi's overseas visits
New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday informed the Rajya Sabha that expenditure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign visits has crossed ₹74.5 crore in 2026 so far. The information was provided by Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita in a written reply to questions raised by MPs Sanjay Singh and Dr V Sivadasan.
The MPs had sought details of the Prime Minister's foreign visits since 2021, including country-wise expenditure, agreements signed during these visits, investment commitments and foreign direct investment (FDI) received.
According to the ministry, the total expenditure on the Prime Minister's foreign visits since 2021 has crossed ₹550 crore. The government said the figures include actual expenditure available so far, while some 2026 costs remain provisional and will be updated after final settlement of bills.
Year-wise expenditure on PM Modi's foreign visits
The MEA said expenditure on the Prime Minister's overseas visits was:
- 2026 (so far): Over ₹74.58 crore
- 2025: Over ₹180 crore
- 2024: ₹109 crore
- 2023: ₹93 crore
- 2022: ₹55 crore
- 2021: ₹36 crore
The ministry said the highest expenditure among the 2026 visits for which figures are available was during the Norway leg of Modi's five-nation tour in May, which cost around ₹17.46 crore.
The expenditure for the Prime Minister's France visit in June is still being compiled, according to the reply.
What did the government say about foreign visits?
The MEA said high-level visits by the Prime Minister are an important part of India's diplomatic engagement and help strengthen partnerships in areas such as technology, trade, investment, defence, energy and supply chain cooperation.
The ministry also said agreements signed during these visits have covered sectors including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, renewable energy, healthcare, education, agriculture, space cooperation, climate action and mobility.
Since July 2021, a total of 316 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and agreements have reportedly been signed during the Prime Minister's foreign visits.
FDI figures shared in Rajya Sabha
The government also informed Parliament that India received USD 381.8 billion in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) between April 2021 and December 2025.
However, the ministry did not provide a break-up showing how much FDI was directly connected to individual foreign visits, agreements or investment announcements.
The FDI figure represents total inflows during the broader period and was not attributed to any particular diplomatic trip.
Comparison with previous Prime Ministerial visits
The MEA also shared expenditure details from some previous Prime Ministerial visits during the Congress-led UPA government.
According to the ministry, some individual foreign trips during that period cost more than the total foreign travel expenditure recorded for 2026 so far. These included former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visits to the US in 2011, Russia in 2013, France in 2011 and Germany in 2013.
The ministry clarified that these figures were actual costs and were not adjusted for inflation or currency fluctuations.
Why are foreign visits politically debated?
Prime Ministerial foreign visits have often been discussed in the context of diplomatic outreach, economic partnerships and public spending.
The government argues that such visits help strengthen India's global engagement and create opportunities for investment and cooperation. Critics have questioned the cost of overseas travel and sought greater transparency on the outcomes of such visits.
The Rajya Sabha reply provided expenditure figures and details of agreements but did not establish a direct financial return from individual trips.