Union ministers call on VP Naidu

Union ministers in the new cabinet have called on Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and apprised him of the activities undertaken by their respective ministries, officials said Wednesday.

Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri called on Naidu on Tuesday, the VP Office said in a statement.

"During the discussions, the vice president noted with satisfaction that schemes like smartcities and housing have taken off very well and suggested that the momentum should be kept up and implementation be accelerated in the coming months," it said.

In his meeting with Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Naidu underscored strengthening of various schemes for skill development, rehabilitation and empowerment of persons with disabilities.

 

He accepted the invitation of the minister for attending a programme in Kolhapur in which more than 10,000 persons with disabilities will be provided with special aids and assistive devices, the statement said.

On Wednesday morning, Minister of Railways and Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal called on the vice president.

During his interaction with Goyal, Naidu advised him to speed up the progress of the ongoing projects expeditiously before rolling out new projects.

The railway minister also apprised him about the progress of various projects in Andhra Pradesh, including the South Coast Railway Zone (Vizag Zone), new railway line between Venkatachalam - Vellikallu and Obulavaripalle - Cherlopalli (part of Krishnapatnam - Obulavaraipalle rail line project), redevelopment of Nellore railway station, steps being taken for passenger amenities at all the railway stations between Krishnapatnam and Obulavanipalle stations.

Referring to Namburu (Andhra Pradesh) - Errupalem (Telangana) railway line, Shri Naidu observed that the 106-kilometre railway line would facilitate connectivity to the state capital Amaravathi and wanted the two states and the Centre to work in 'Team India' spirit to ensure its speedy execution, the statement said.