Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office issued an unusual clarification on Friday, May 15, dismissing reports that the Union government was considering imposing a surcharge on foreign travel due to the crisis in West Asia.
Earlier in the day, CNBC TV had reported that the Union government was considering the possibility of levying additional taxes on overseas travel as part of a broader effort to conserve foreign reserves. According to the report, discussions on the proposal were allegedly taking place at the “highest level” of the government as policymakers monitored the economic fallout of the continuing tensions in West Asia.
However, the official account of Narendra Modi promptly rejected the claims. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Prime Minister said the speculations were “totally false.”
“Not an iota of truth in this. There is no question of putting such restrictions on foreign travel. We remain committed to improving ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and ‘Ease of Living’ for our people,” Modi said.
While the government's fact-checking unit usually issues such rejoinders and clarifications, the tweet by the official Narendra Modi account surprised many.
Meanwhile, soon after the clarification, CNBC TV deleted its social media post regarding the proposed surcharge.
After the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, due to the conflict between Israel-US and Iran, the global crude oil supply chain has been disrupted.
Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Modi had urged people to avoid purchases of gold for a year, and encouraged behavioural changes such as carpooling, using public transport and conserving fuel. The government had also promoted campaigns encouraging energy efficiency and reduced dependence on imported commodities as part of its measures to protect foreign exchange reserves.