Globetrotting Modi is building strong foreign relations, and Air India is bearing the brunt

Last year, Air India, the flag carrier Indian airline, spent Rs 117 crore on PM Modi's foreign travel, 25% more from the previous year’s Rs 94 crore. In the year that ended in December saw Modi visiting 22 countries, including Russia, France, Germany, Korea, Mongolia, China, the UAE, Ireland, the UK, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkey among others.

Also read: Modi’s cabinet is globetrotting too, spends 80% higher on travel than last year

When compared to ex-PM Manmohan Singh, the amount that the national carrier spent was Rs 108 crore, during 2013-2014.

The figures have surfaced as a response to an RTI application by Comm (retd) Lokesh Batra. As per the Ministry of External Affairs, Modi visited 12 countries in his first year of office including Bhutan, Australia, Myanmar, Fiji, Japan, Seychelles, Brazil and Mauritius among others.

The trip that cost the max happened in April 2015, when he visited France, Canada and Germany, which cost the exchequer Rs 31 crore.

In comparison, the most expensive trip in 2014-2015 was to Australia and Myanmar where he spent Rs 22 crore. Year 2016 has already seen him visiting Belgium, United States and Saudi Arabia, following which he is expected to visit Iran sometime later this month.

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