Chandrayaan-3 Budget: Fact Check: Is Modi govt spending half of Chandrayaan-3 budget on armoured cars for the 18th G20 Summit?

The 18th G20 Summit is on the horizon and preparations are underway to host the leaders from the world’s largest economies in New Delhi. Amid the developments, a recent report claiming that the central government is spending over Rs 400 crore to buy 50 bulletproof cars to facilitate the travel for the invited global leaders surfaced on the internet.
However, PIB’s Fact Checking arm on X (formerly known as Twitter) has rubbished the claims and called it fake. For the unversed, ISRO’s recent triumph to land on the South Pole of the moon was accomplished with a budget of Rs 615 crore. In comparison, the reported ‘Rs 400 crore’ figure is more than half of what ISRO required to take the tricolour on the explored part of the lunar surface.

TMC MP Saket Gokhale recently tweeted a report from a leading publication raising concerns over the government’s expenditure on a two-day event. However, PIB Fact Check has debugged the claim citing that the government, instead, will be leasing 20 such cars for Rs 18 crore.

Further, the fact check report said that the leasing of bulletproof cars is a standard protocol procedure for all Heads of State/Heads of Government visits. As mentioned above, the G20 summit is a major international event that will be attended by leaders from 20 countries. Hence, the leasing of bulletproof cars is a necessary measure to ensure the security of the visiting leaders.
Talking about the Bullet Resistant cars in question, the Audi A8 L debuted in Russia last year with updated security features. Equipped with a shielded compartment, this luxury sedan can easily withstand bullets from AK47 rifles, hand grenades, and planted mines. The Audi A8 L gets a certified VR9 Ballistic Protection and has a kerb weight of over 3,800 KGs. It costs Rs 9.15 crore in the Indian market and is understood to serve as a crucial addition to the convoys of the visiting dignitaries.