Venkaiah Naidu

Naidu was speaking at India Today's 'Safaigiri' awards on a day the Centre is observing the third anniversary of its Swachh Bharat Mission, which aims at making the country open defecation free (ODF) by 2019.

He will also lay the foundation stone for another 250 km NH projects which will cost over Rs 2,539 crore.

Vice President Naidu also said that terrorism had no religion and it was the enemy of humanity.

Amid a warm welcome, Venkaiah Naidu on Friday took over as the new Chairman of the Rajya Sabha with an emphasis that there should be no disruptions in the House.

After being sworn in as Vice-President, Venkaiah Naidu made his first speech as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

From appointing Governors to judges, the President of India serves as Head of the State and is tasked with defending the Constitution

Naidu arrived here with his family members last night and stayed at a heavily guarded Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) guest house on the hills.

Naidu piloted a year-long consultation with state governments and other stakeholders before launching new urban missions, an exercise people close to him said was based on his "belief in cooperative federalism".

Born to a humble agricultural family in Andhra Pradesh's Nellore district, the 68-year-old has served as BJP president, minister in various portfolios and a long-time Rajya Sabha member.

The prime minister's message came immediately after Naidu, the ruling NDA's candidate, was declared the winner in the vice presidential polls, bagging 516 votes out of total 771 votes cast.

Venkaiah Naidu has a sense of humour.

Naidu beat Opposition candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi by a huge margin and will replace Hamid Ansari, whose term ends next week.

Venkaiah Naidu is credited with ushering in an urban renaissance in the country. It is because of his efforts that the much-delayed Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill was finally cleared by both Houses of Parliament last years after almost eight years.

The former BJP president, who currently holds two portfolios in the Union Cabinet, though is more keen on continuing in active politics, a report in the prominent Telugu daily Eenadu said on Monday morning.

"The main aim of GST, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed as Good and Simple Tax, is to simplify the taxation process, reduce the burden of taxes (which will eventually happen automatically) and ensure compliance of tax payment.

"People are supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking good decisions. People are very happy about the GST. It is unfortunate that Congress, which was instrumental in introducing the Bill, decided to boycott the session for no reason." Naidu told reporters here.

Naidu, the minister for Urban Development and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, said only fly-by-night operators and habitual tax evaders are opposing the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Naidu claimed that the Congress is objecting to the launch at the Central Hall of Parliament as it has not been able to accept that Narendra Modi has been elected as Prime Minister of India.

On Congress describing the session as "grand self- promoting tamasha", the information and broadcasting minister said "it is a silly, cheap comment" which "need not be replied to in detail".

The urban development minister today reviewed various ongoing projects under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) here.