Today I saw a news item about the forthcoming Canada visit by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A few thoughts have come to mind. I am sharing them with you.

1.      We know that our PM undertakes frequent foreign trips. The same is true of his predecessor, Dr. Manmohan Singh.

2.      During his twelve years in office, Mr. Modi has undertaken 105 foreign trips and has visited 78 countries. On average, the numbers work out to “one trip every 42 days”.

3.      During his ten years in office, Dr. Singh undertook 73  trips and visited 46 countries. The numbers work out to “one trip every 50 days”.

4.      On average, each trip can be expected to consume four to five days, including the travel time. Thus, Dr. Singh spent over 350 days on his trips. Mr. Modi has spent over 450 days till now.

5.      From the available data, I have gathered that the nation spends more than five crore rupees per trip. Thus, the cost to the exchequer works out to about 365 crore, and about 510 crore in respect of the EX-PM and the current PM.

6.      That’s all as far as the statistics are concerned. The nation is spending money, and the heads of the state are away from office. Is there any return on investment? Were all the trips needed and justified? The answers will come by way of honest introspection and soul-searching.

7.      Let us come back to the proposed Canada visit in December by Mr. Modi. The news item header summarises the purpose as “to strengthen the Partnership”.  The set goal will be achieved through face-to-face meetings only, and there will be no other action on the part of the visiting dignitary. It is common knowledge that the verbal exchange is possible through video conferencing. The relevant question is WHY TRAVEL ALL THE WAY JUST TO TALK.

8.      As per the proposed program, Mr. Modi will be in Canada on the 11th and 12th of December.  The travel time will be about 48 hours. Thus, the trip will need about 96 hours of our PM’s time. Out of these 96 hours, the mutual interaction time can be expected to be about four to six hours at most. The usefulness or effectiveness of the visit can be said to be said to be abou 6 per cent. The same is true of most of the visits undertaken by Mr. Modi or Dr. Singh.

The foregoing data and information speak for themselves. It is for the readers to make interpretations and make their own judgment on them.