New Delhi: Exactly a month ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in his Lok Sabha constituency, Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, where he inaugurated four Vande Bharat trains. The North Eastern Railway's Varanasi division spent Rs 3,37,93,351 on the ceremony dedicated to inaugurate these four trains.

This expenditure figure was disclosed by the Varanasi division in response to a Right to Information (RTI) application submitted by transparency activist Ajay Basudev Bose. The department confirmed that the entire amount was utilised for the 'inauguration programme'.

Expenditure surged 6.5 times in six years

On February 15, 2019, the prime minister flagged off the first Vande Bharat train – also on the Delhi-Varanasi route. That inauguration ceremony cost the government Rs 52 lakh. Just under six years later, this expenditure has escalated to 6.5 times the original amount.

In 2025, Rs 3.38 crore was spent on the inauguration of four trains in Varanasi, averaging Rs 84.5 lakh per train, which is 1.6 times more costly than in 2019.

What was not revealed

The RTI response failed to provide a comprehensive breakdown of the expenditures for the inauguration. Only the overall amount spent was disclosed. It was not specified which company received the contract for the decorations, for instance. Additionally, the amounts allocated for security arrangements, media arrangement, logistics and other related expenses were not mentioned.

However, the figures released by the Chennai division of Southern Railway on April 8, 2023, can offer insight into the expenditure distribution for such events. On April 8, 2023, the prime minister inaugurated the Chennai-Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express train at a total cost of Rs 1.14 crore. Out of this total expenditure, Rs 1.05 crore was paid to a private event management firm named Evoke Media. Hence, 92% of the total cost was dedicated exclusively to event management.

If this same ratio were to be applied to Varanasi, it could be inferred that over Rs 3 crore were spent solely on event management.

It is noteworthy that Rs 3.38 crore were spent exclusively on the ‘inauguration’. In other words, this amount was allocated for organising the ceremony, which included decorations, stage setup, hospitality, logistics and other related arrangements.

Also read: Citing ‘Security Concerns,’ CIC Says Modi’s Foreign Travel Costs Need Not Be Disclosed

The expenses related to the Prime Minister's travel are not included in this figure. Interestingly, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has previously declared that does not keep records of the costs associated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's domestic travels.

In 2019, in response to an RTI query, the then Under Secretary and Central Public Information Officer of the PMO, Praveen Kumar, stated that the PMO does not maintain a documentary record of the expenses incurred during the Prime Minister's domestic travels, and that it is not within their purview.

The response mentioned that the costs associated with the Prime Minister's domestic travels do not fall under a single governing body, as these trips are coordinated by various government departments and agencies.

Translated from the Hindi original – which appeared on The Wire Hindi – by Naushin Rehman.

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