Modi Tours & Travels

An answer in Parliament last week laid bare the amount of time Prime Minister Narendra Modi spends abroad. Thousands of crores of taxpayer money has gone on foreign trips and, according to another answer in the House, advertising the Modi government’s achievements. Modi certainly travels more than his predecessor, Manmohan Singh, and these trips form an integral part of his public image. The prime minister likes to portray himself as a significant player on the world stage, as is evident from his effusive body language when greeting foreign counterparts. According to BJP lore, Modi commands a global profile enjoyed by perhaps no other Indian leader, past or present. 84 Foreign trips taken by Modi, between June 15, 2014 (Bhutan) and December 2, 2018 (G20 summit, Buenos Aires) `2,021.6 crore Cost of trips—PM’s aircraft maintenance: Rs 1,583.2 cr: chartered flights: Rs 429.3 cr; secure hotline (201417): Rs 9.12 crore (some bills not yet submitted) 182 Days spent abroad by Modi till July 2018 (155 in first 4 years). Previous PM Manmohan Singh spent 303 days abroad in two full 5year terms (131 days in first 4 years of UPA2) $37.36 billion Total FDI into India in FY18. Largest contributor is Mauritius ($13.4 bn); Singapore ($9.27 bn) is next 5 Most visits made by Modi to China and the US. Visited Nepal, Germany, Russia, Singapore 4 times; France and Japan 3 times 940 Indian Foreign Service officers in 2018; UK has 4,200, Australia 6,300, China 7,500 and USA 13,900, suggesting India is underequipped to follow up on Modi’s diplomacy 124 Indian embassies, 48 consulates, 5 permanent missions. UK has 149, 55, 9, respectively; France 160, 89, 15; China 166, 90, 8; USA 167, 90, 9 60,000 Crowd size to greet Modi at Wembley Stadium, London, in 2015; some 18,000 turned up at Madison Square Garden in New York in 2014