Rajya Sabha welcomes Chairman Venkaiah Naidu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday welcomed M. Venkaiah Naidu as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, saying the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana was brought in by him.

"He is the first Vice President who was born in independent India. Venkaiahji knows the working of the Rajya Sabha very well, being in the House for so long, he has seen how the House works," Modi said.

Naidu on Friday took over charge from M. Hamid Ansari whose second term as Vice President ended on Thursday.

President Ram Nath Kovind earlier in the day administered the oath of office to the new Vice President in Rashtrapati Bhawan here.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate was elected as Vice President after securing over two-thirds of votes polled on August 5.

"All the MPs, whether in Manmohan Singh government or my government, asked for the scheme of Pradhan Mantri Sadak Yojana in their area. But this scheme was gifted to us by our new Vice President Naiduji," Modi said.

The Prime Minister said that currently all the top posts of the country were held by people coming from different backgrounds.

"Today, all the top posts of the country are being held by people coming from different backgrounds, which shows the maturity of our Constitution," Modi said.

"Being an Urban Development Minister in my government, he used to take more interest in the works of the rural and agriculture ministries. He is a farmer's son. He has always talked about the development of rural India," he added.

Former Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu took over as Rajya Sabha Chairman on Friday on the last day of the Monsoon session of the Parliament, after being sworn-in as the Vice President of India.

The Lok Sabha has a busy day, with several Bills lined up for consideration and passing.