Prime Minister Modi's Foreign Visits: What Did India Gain?

प्रवक्ता · English edition 23 October 2026 · Hindi original 29 December 2018 · 10 min read

The opposition levels the accusation against Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he is perpetually on foreign tours. As Prime Minister, during his 48-month tenure so far, Modi has undertaken 41 foreign trips, visiting over 50 countries. A total of 355 crore rupees has been spent on these 41 foreign tours. Yet what is the truth? Is Narendra Modi perpetually traveling abroad? Or have these foreign visits actually yielded benefits! Let us investigate.

What Did the Nation Gain from Foreign Tours?

The Indian Diaspora United

The standing of overseas Indians grew abroad. Their attachment to their homeland deepened. The outcome was that in 2014, they remitted 70 billion dollars to India.

Foreign Direct Investment Surged

It is solely the fruit of the Prime Minister's foreign tours that FDI in the country increased. In 2015, India received 35 billion dollars in Foreign Direct Investment, the highest in the world. Where FDI stood at 34,487 billion dollars in 2013, three years later under the Modi government it surged to 61,724 billion dollars.

Modernization of the Armed Forces

Under the previous government, defense deals lay languishing. Defense agreements were struck with one nation after another. During this period, India increased its defense budget by 8 percent. Work is underway on a roadmap for the modernization of the armed forces. A plan for the next 10 years has been drawn up. Under this, the armed forces are to be modernized at an outlay of 15 lakh crore rupees. All of this will materialize under the accords signed with various countries.

Impetus to Make in India

Through his foreign tours, PM Modi rallied support for Make in India. Corporations across the world, including China, are investing in India. The manufacturers of Rafale and Sukhoi aircraft are willing to establish their manufacturing units in India, ensuring that India attains self-reliance in the defense sector in the days ahead.

Mobilization for the NSG

Global support was garnered for India's membership in the NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group). Leaving aside China alone, every other nation backed India.

India Could Execute the Surgical Strike

Behind the worldwide backing received for the surgical strike lay the impact of these very foreign tours. Executing the surgical strike, India eliminated 60 terrorists in PoK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) and obliterated their terror camps.

Grip on Central Asia

An accord with Iran on the development and use of Chabahar Port. This is regarded as a counter to the Sino-Pakistani pact on Gwadar Port. Following the agreement with Iran, India will secure direct access through Afghanistan into Central Asia.

SCO Membership

If India succeeded in securing membership in the China-dominated Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, it was because India had laid solid groundwork for it. Foreign tours carried immense weight behind this achievement.

Emulating Modi in US and UK Elections—The solidarity fostered among Indians during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign tours has begun to show its impact. Slogans modeled on Modi are now being coined to capture the votes of Indians. Such spectacles were widely witnessed in the elections of America and England. An effort was made to capitalize on PM Modi's popularity in these elections.

PM Arrives in Canada After 42 Years

When the Prime Minister traveled to Canada, it was the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister in 42 years. It is astonishing that to visit a nation where Indians reside in such large numbers, and where even politicians from Punjab routinely go to vacation, it took 42 years for a Prime Minister to arrive.

Prime Minister Arrives in UAE After 38 Years

The United Arab Emirates is a country where Indians live in vast numbers. Here too, it took 38 years for a Prime Minister to visit. Arriving there, PM Narendra Modi forged bilateral relations anew.

Visit to Sri Lanka After 28 Years

India has shared ties with Sri Lanka since antiquity, yet here too, no Indian Prime Minister had set foot for the past 28 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi bridged this divide.

It Took 17 Years to Reach Nepal

India's relationship with Nepal has been one of roti-beti (sacred bonds of shared sustenance and kinship). In spite of this, the estrangement between the two nations widened to such an extent that an Indian Prime Minister visited only after 17 years, when Narendra Modi arrived there. Indo-Nepal relations are now flourishing on a fresh footing.

First Joint Meeting with Arab States

India held a joint meeting with the Arab States for the very first time. No such initiative had ever been undertaken before.

First Summit with African Nations

Collective engagement with African nations also occurred for the first time at IAFS-III (India-Africa Forum Summit III). India had never participated in such an assembly before, even though India's ties with African nations date back to the era of Mahatma Gandhi. From the opposition to the common populace, questions were persistently raised regarding Modi's foreign tours, but disregarding everyone, Modi traveled across the globe to bolster the nation's power.

Let Us Review Modi's Foreign Tours This Year, in 2018

Sri Lanka: This year, the foreign visits commenced with Sri Lanka. From May 10 to 12, Modi was on a visit to Sri Lanka. His visit to Sri Lanka is a symbol of robust relations between the two nations, bringing the shared heritage of Buddhism to the fore.

Tour of Germany, Russia, France, and Spain:

Following this, Modi was on a four-nation tour from May 29 to June 3. Behind visiting these four countries, Modi had a singular purpose: to consolidate bilateral ties.

Kazakhstan Tour:

PM Modi participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kazakhstan. The leaders of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation represent half the world's population. India was made a participant in this summit because, following Modi's accession to the premiership, India has emerged as the paramount face in the world's fight against terrorism.

Tour of America, Portugal, and the Netherlands:

This tour of PM Modi was exceptionally critical regarding Indo-US relations. Modi and Donald Trump met for the first time. During this visit, Modi and Trump resolved to unite and battle together against terrorism. Concurrently, Trump also agreed to bolster maritime commerce and cooperation.

Portugal Tour:

During this foreign tour, Modi took part in 33 programs and meetings. India received a major boon from the Portugal visit; during this tour, the India-Portugal International Start-up Hub was inaugurated.

Netherlands Tour:

Following Modi's visit to the Netherlands, three agreements were signed between the two nations, including a memorandum on water cooperation. Modi remarked after this foreign visit that the Netherlands is a natural partner for our economic development needs and priorities.

Israel Tour:

Thereafter, from July 4 to 8, Modi was on a foreign tour of Israel and Germany. For the first time in 70 years, an Indian PM visited Jerusalem. During Prime Minister Modi's visit, India and Israel took multiple steps to further cement their ties.

Tour of China and Myanmar:

PM Modi traveled to China to participate in the BRICS summit. Thereafter, Modi arrived in Myanmar. PM Narendra Modi's foreign visit at BRICS was characterized as a resounding success. Through this tour, fingers were pointed at Pakistan's terrorist networks for the first time. This was PM Modi's first bilateral visit to Myanmar. The objective of Modi's tour was to enhance mutual ties across diverse spheres with this eastern neighbor under the Act East policy. Given China's burgeoning footprint in this neighboring country, Modi's visit was of paramount significance.

Philippines Tour:

This was the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the Philippines in the past 36 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi traveled to the Philippines to take part in the 15th ASEAN Summit and the 12th East Asia Summit. Participation in this summit gave a tremendous impetus to India's Act East policy.

Other Aspects That Make It Exceptional—

Prime Minister Modi Spent 10 Percent of His Time Abroad

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has undertaken 41 foreign trips in four years. Factoring in his presence at multilateral conferences, the Prime Minister has visited 56 countries to date. During these travels, the PM traversed a distance of 3.4 lakh kilometers. He spent 119 days abroad. This means that annually, PM Narendra Modi traveled to 15 nations and stayed abroad for approximately 39 days each year. That is, he spent 10 percent of his time abroad.

PM Modi undertook 11 foreign visits in the first year of his tenure. In the second year, this figure dropped to nine, and in the third year, he has made only six foreign tours so far. By comparison, Manmohan Singh had undertaken 6 trips in his first year, 9 in the second, and 6 in the third. In three years, Manmohan Singh had undertaken 21 foreign visits—merely 5 trips fewer than Narendra Modi.

Modi Sleeps While Traveling on Foreign Tours

Prime Minister Narendra Modi increased foreign visits, but developed a modus operandi that maximized the number of countries visited in minimal time. PM Modi sleeps on the aircraft itself during overseas travel. He does not stop for rest in any transit country along the way. This saves considerable time.

PM Also Saves on Hotel Expenses

The Prime Minister plans his foreign visits in such a manner that his layovers in hotels for accommodation are minimized. He completes his sleep during flight. He has thus severed himself from the convention of halting solely for this purpose. He utilizes the conserved time to cover more countries.

A Bloated Entourage Accompanying the PM Has Become History

PM Modi does not travel with an oversized army of journalists or officials. Only those who have a defined role on the tour accompany him. By doing away with the sycophantic tradition of tagging along people without an active role, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has, in truth, drastically curtailed foreign travel expenditures.

Through his foreign tours, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has fortified the nation's stature, heightened the confidence of Indians, and elevated relations with various nations to new heights. India is reaping the dividends of this. Nor is it accurate to assert that the Prime Minister is perpetually on foreign tours. The data reveals that the heads of state of China and America spend far more time abroad than the Indian PM, yet the Indian PM works far harder. Today, with the aid of these very foreign tours, India has secured 15,600 crore rupees in FDI from abroad, which will make a vital contribution to generating employment in India. Hence, within minimal time, he secures maximal benefit for the nation. These foreign tours have, in reality, proven to be a boon for India.

- Manish Prakash, The author is a political analyst and writes on contemporary issues.