Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a rare move rubbished as totally false on Friday a media report that had claimed the government was planning to impose a tax on foreign travel.
The prime minister's strong rebuttal came after the media report suggested that the government is considering levying a tax or a cess or a surcharge on foreign travel but no final decision has been taken yet.
"This is 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, who is currently on a five-nation tour, said in a post on X.
It is rare that the prime minister himself has denied a media report.
The report, quoting sources, claimed that the proposal to levy a cess or a tax or a surcharge on foreign travel is being discussed at the highest levels.
Emphasising that the Centre is trying to shield people from the adverse impact of the ongoing West Asia conflict, Modi had on May 10 called for a judicious use of fuel and postponement of gold purchases, among other measures, to strengthen the economy.
Addressing a rally organised by the Telangana unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Hyderabad, the prime minister suggested reducing petrol and diesel consumption, using metro rail services in cities, carpooling, increased use of electric vehicles (EVs), utilising railway services for parcel movement and working from home amid the crisis in West Asia.