The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, who is scheduled to demit office on 10th August, hosted a series of high tea receptions in the last week for the officials and staff of the VP Secretariat, Rajya Sabha Secretariat, the team of doctors and the Air Force crew who performed duties for the Vice President.  Shri Naidu was given an emotional farewell by the members at these gatherings, who recalled their pleasant memories of working for the Vice President.

Earlier today, Shri Naidu hosted a lunch for the officials of Rajya Sabha Secretariat in Parliament House Annexe. Interacting with him, the officials recalled the many initiatives taken by Shri Naidu as the Chairman, Rajya Sabha. They wished him a happy and healthy life ahead.

On 5^th August, Shri Naidu hosted a high tea for the staff at VP House, including the officials, security personnel, cooks, drivers, gardeners and maintenance staff. The scenes turned emotional with the staff recounting their association of five years with the Vice President and his family. They shared many anecdotes and pleasant memories with Shri Naidu, his spouse, Smt. Usha Naidu and other family members. The staff also posed with the Vice President for photographs on this occasion. Shri Naidu thanked them for all the love and support over the last five years. During the gathering, people specially thanked Smt. Usha Naidu, whom the Secretariat staff looks at as a mother figure, for her love and affection.

On 2^nd August, the Indian Air Force crew who regularly flew the Vice President on his outstation visits and on 3^rd August, the team of doctors who performed duties at Vice President House were hosted at Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas, along with their spouses. Interacting with them, Shri Naidu conveyed his appreciation for their discipline, hard work and dedication towards their duty.

Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu was sworn in as the 13th Vice President of India on 11th August, 2017 and has many achievements to his credit when he demits office after completing his tenure of 5 years.

During the 13 sessions presided over by Shri Naidu, overall productivity of Rajya Sabha increased from 42.77% for the first five sessions to 82.34% for the next eight sessions.

An ardent advocate of promoting mother tongues and Indian culture, Shri Naidu's tenure saw a marked increase in the use of Indian languages in the proceedings of the Upper House. Dogri, Konkani, Kashmiri and Santhali were used for the first time in Rajya Sabha since 1952 with simultaneous translation facilities provided by the RS Secretariat. Similarly, Assamese, Bodo, Gujarati, Maithili, Manipuri and Nepali languages were used in Rajya Sabha after a long gap.

When the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic disrupted life across the globe, several imaginative initiatives were taken under Shri Naidu's leadership to enable smooth functioning of the Parliament, such as virtual presentation of reports by Parliamentary Committees.

A leader firmly rooted in Indian values, he discontinued several colonial practices such as the term 'I beg to lay on the table of the House' and replaced it with 'I rise to lay…'. The outdated term 'His Excellency' was replaced simply with 'Honourable Vice President' to emphasise on India's democratic ethos.

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MS/RK

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