FREQUENT FLYER FILES

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been quite the globetrotter this year, and now we've got the receipts, so to speak.

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In response to questions posed by TMC MP Derek O'Brien in the Rajya Sabha, it turned out that Rs 67.07 crore has been spent this year on the PM's visits to five countries: France, the US, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia. Bills for nine more visits are still being tallied. Between 2021 and 2024, the grand total came to around Rs 295 crore, with the US topping the charts at Rs 74.44 crore. Publicity expenses abroad added another Rs 1 crore because a little dazzle never hurts. Expenses included delegations too, sometimes as large as 145 tagging along in 2024. Call it diplomacy with frequent flyer flair.

OUTAGE OUTRAGE

Uttar Pradesh energy minister