Such visits are an important means by which India serves its national interest, the MEA said

According to information provided to Parliament on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi traveled to 36 countries in the last five years to promote bilateral ties and India's activities at the regional and international levels.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said, "Understandings reached during these visits have enabled India to strengthen relations with partner countries and put forward India's viewpoint, and shape the global agenda on global issues such as reformed multilateralism, climate change, transnational crime, terrorism, cyber-security, etc."

He added that such visits are crucial for India to advance its national interests and carry out its foreign policy goals.

"Such visits are an important means by which India serves its national interest and implements foreign policy objectives. These visits have enhanced understanding of India's perspectives on regional and global issues among foreign partners at the highest level," he said.

The written reply included information on the number of delegates that accompanied the Prime Minister on each of the 36 trips as well as the cost of those trips.

According to this information, the Prime Minister's visit to the US from September 21 to September 28, 2019, cost a maximum of Rs 23,27,09,000 in expenses. PM Modi was accompanied by a nine-person delegation, which included NSA Ajit Doval and Minister of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

The response also highlighted that the Ministry of Home Affairs' budget was used to cover the costs associated with the Prime Minister's trips to Bangladesh (March 26–27, 2021), the US (September 22–26, 2021), Italy, and the UK (October 29–November 2, 2021).

Prime Minister Modi did not travel abroad between November 15, 2019, and March 26, 2021, mainly because of Covid-19 restrictions.