Fact Check: Viral Post Makes False Claim About PM Modi’s Foreign Travel Costing Less Than Manmohan Singh’s
The viral posts comparing PM Modi’s and Manmohan Singh’s foreign travel expenses are misleading. The claim that Modi spent ₹258 crore over 11 years is inaccurate, as this figure pertains to just two and a half years (May 2022–Dec 2024) for 38 trips. In comparison, Singh’s ₹642 crore covers his air expenses over nine years.
- By: Pallavi Mishra
- Published: Mar 29, 2025 at 02:12 PM
New Delhi (Vishvas News): A viral social media post claims that PM Narendra Modi’s total foreign travel expenditure was less than his predecessor Manmohan Singh’s, despite making more trips (86 for Modi compared with Singh’s 76). The post suggests that Modi’s average spending per trip was less than Singh’s.
Vishvas News investigated and found the claim to be misleading. The comparison is flawed as it contrasts former PM Singh’s travel expenses over nine years with PM Modi’s expenses over just two and a half years.
What is in the viral post?
Facebook user ‘Vivek Saini‘ shared the viral post (archive link) on March 22, 2025, with the caption, “Money spent on PM Modi’s foreign trips in 11 years : 258 crores
Money spent on the former PM Manmohan Singh’s foreign trips in 10 years: 642 crores
PM Modi 86 foreign visit while PM Manmohan Singh 76 Foreign Visit.”
Investigation
To begin our investigation, we conducted a keyword search. The viral post claims that Modi’s foreign trips over 11 years cost ₹258 crores. Upon investigating with keywords, we found multiple news reports stating that, “In response to a question from Mallikarjun Kharge in the Rajya Sabha about the total expenditure on the Prime Minister’s foreign trip arrangements for the years 2022, 2023, and 2024, Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita provided details on Modi’s foreign travel expenses. According to the information shared, approximately ₹259 crore was spent on 38 foreign trips made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during this period.” It’s important to clarify that the ₹259 crore expenditure was incurred over two and a half years, not 11 years, as claimed.
Next, we investigated the claim about Singh, which states that ₹642 crore was spent on his foreign trips over 10 years. We found news reports from 2013 confirming that over ₹642 crore was spent on Singh’s air travel abroad during the nine years of his tenure. However, five bills were not included in this figure. These reports also clarify that this amount only covered the total air travel expenses and not the total cost of his foreign trips
We also found that in 2016, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) released a detailed breakdown of the expenses incurred on chartered flights for the 73 foreign trips made by Singh between May 2004 and May 2014, totalling₹7951.80 crore.
On December 12, 2018, Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh responded to a Rajya Sabha question from Binoy Viswam regarding the Prime Minister’s foreign trips between 2014 and 2018. In his reply, Singh revealed that ₹2000 crore was spent on 84 foreign trips taken by PM Modi during this period.
For further verification, Vishvas News contacted Dainik Jagran’s National Bureau Chief Ashutosh Jha. He confirmed that the viral post comparing the foreign travel expenses Modi and Singh is misleading. Jha explained that the comparison is not an apples-to-apples analysis due to substantial differences in the time periods considered (2.5 years for Modi vs nine years for Singh) and the scope of the expenses involved in each calculation.
Instagram user ‘Vivek Saini’ who shared the viral post has around 2000 followers.
Conclusion: The viral posts comparing PM Modi’s and Manmohan Singh’s foreign travel expenses are misleading. The claim that Modi spent ₹258 crore over 11 years is inaccurate, as this figure pertains to just two and a half years (May 2022–Dec 2024) for 38 trips. In comparison, Singh’s ₹642 crore covers his air expenses over nine years.
- Claim Review : M Narendra Modi's total foreign travel expenditure was less than Manmohan Singh's, despite making more trips (86 vs 76).
- Claimed By : Facebook user ‘Vivek Saini‘
- Fact Check : False
Know the truth! If you have any doubts about any information or a rumor, do let us know!
Knowing the truth is your right. If you feel any information is doubtful and it can impact the society or nation, send it to us by any of the sources mentioned below.
