Venkaiah Naidu

Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, who earlier handled Parliamentary Affairs portfolio, called up Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and his deputy Anand Sharma to seek Congress' backing for passage of the crucial bill in the Monsoon session of Parliament starting July 18.

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu spoke to senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma. Both Congress leaders assured Naidu that they will get back to him soon after consultations within their party.

The country's poor are bankable and banks should not shy away from extending credit to them, Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said today.

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu on June 14 said there was no confrontation between the judiciary and the government

"India is now recognised and respected worldwide. Country after country is offering red carpet to our Prime Minister. He is now among top 10 world leaders. He has emerged as one among top 10 leaders with his initiatives and approach.

Seeking German investment in India's infrastructure sector, Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today said the partnership between the two countries "should and will flourish" as he invited participation of its business community in India's "urban renaissance".

Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today said a joint venture company in partnership with the Karnataka government will be set up in three months to take up railway projects.

HP Minister Sudhir Sharma yesterday met Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu in Delhi and urged him to include Shimla in Smart City Mission as it was a famous international tourist destination, besides being the state capital.

Guwahati, Amritsar, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Nagpur, Jaipur, Aurangabad and Patna are among the cities where all construction permits would be granted only via online mechanism beginning October 2.

"After Independence, no government has come to power that worries so much about the future of the country. In a way, to the people of the country, the Modi government and the Prime Minister are a God's gift," Singh said at a farmers conclave organised by BJP's Kisan cell.

"Is drought in our hands? It will rain when god wishes. If it rains it is good, otherwise we will do what we have to. The state recommends compensation and we release funds, it is a continuous process," said Naidu.

At a meeting of the BJP parliamentary party, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present, party chief Amit Shah told MPs that the they should take "Budget to the people" by highlighting the schemes and ensure that the benefits reach grassroot levels.

The Credai members also thanked the Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu for his stewardship of real estate sector and suggested that affordable housing should be defined as units up to 60 square meters in metros and 90 square meters in non-metros.

The Budget session of Parliament is all set for a stormy start tomorrow with major opposition parties planning to corner the government on JNU and other issue as Congress President Sonia Gandhi accused it of launching a planned attack on freedom of expression and right to differ.

Naidu said passing the Real Estate Regulation and Development Bill is essential because in the absence of a watchdog, people can be fleeced by fly-by-night operators in the sector.

Lok Sabha Speaker and local MP Sumitra Mahajan, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be present on the occasion, an official said.

Most of the inflows have been witnessed in the debt markets during the period under review.

Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu elaborated on this investment potential while speaking on "Current status, Outlook and Investment opportunities in developing urban infrastructure" at the India Investment Summit organised here.

The proposed goods and services tax (GST), India's biggest revenue shake-up since independence in 1947, seeks to replace a slew of federal and state levies, transforming the nation of 1.2 billion people into a customs union

Venkaiah Naidu also said the government was willing to advance the upcoming parliament session to back the landmark tax reform if the Congress party was ready to support the measure.