The Union government has spent around ₹557.51 crore on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign visits between 2021 and July 2026, the Ministry of External Affairs informed the Rajya Sabha.
Responding to a question raised by CPI(M) MP V. Sivadasan, Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita said that Prime Minister Modi visited 77 countries during this period. The government stated that these visits helped strengthen international partnerships across various sectors through agreements and Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs).
According to the ministry’s response, the government spent around ₹11.92 crore on Prime Minister Modi’s Israel visit in February 2026. The France and Slovak Republic visit in May 2026 cost around ₹4.77 crore, while the Seychelles visit in June 2026 involved an expenditure of approximately ₹8.22 crore.
The government also shared details of spending on earlier visits, including ₹25.59 crore for the joint France and US visit in February 2025 and ₹16.54 crore for the US leg of the trip.
During the same period, India signed 316 MoUs with different countries. The government said these agreements contributed to expanding cooperation in areas such as trade, technology, security and strategic partnerships. The period also recorded total foreign direct investment inflows of $381.8 billion.
Among the 316 agreements, 44 were signed with the UAE, 33 with France, 16 with Israel and eight with the United States. Some agreements with Israel included cooperation between security agencies and the implementation of UPI services on the MASAV platform.
CPI(M) MP V. Sivadasan questioned the impact of these foreign visits, stating that their success should be measured through outcomes such as investments received, projects completed, employment generated and improvements in India’s global position, rather than only the number of countries visited or agreements signed.
The government, however, highlighted that the foreign engagements have helped build stronger global partnerships and expand India’s international cooperation.
