Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu could not travel to Balangir in Odisha on Friday to inaugurate an LPG bottling plant due to inclement weather but conveyed his good wishes to the people through an audio message and said that access to clean energy was an integral part of the government's efforts to empower women.
A release from the Vice President's Secretariat said that Naidu was scheduled to travel to Balangir to inaugurate the LPG bottling plant built by the BPCL and was also to attend the platinum jubilee celebrations of Rajendra College there.
The release said he could not depart from Raipur airport due to inclement weather in Balangir. He waited for over three hours at Raipur airport but the visibility still remained poor.
In his message, the Vice President expressed his regret for not being able to meet and greet the people of Odisha on the important occasion.
He extended his warm greetings to BPCL and to people of western Odisha for getting a new LPG bottling plant that would cater to around 20 lakh households by filling 42 lakh cylinders per annum.
The Vice President also lauded the progress made in providing LPG connections under PM Ujjwala Yojana and termed the access to clean energy an integral part of the government's efforts to empower women.
He expressed hope that the new bottling plant in Balangir will give further fillip to these efforts and make women's life easier and healthier by ensuring the timely supply of LPG in the region.
Naidu also extended his good wishes to students, faculty members and alumni of Rajendra College, Balangir, who are celebrating the platinum jubilee of the college which was founded by Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo, the king of erstwhile Patna State and later Chief Minister of Odisha in 1944.
Naidu appreciated the vision and farsightedness of Deo, who could realise the importance of good education for the progress and well-being of society so early.
He conveyed his best wishes to all students for their future endeavours and hoped that they would use their knowledge and skills to serve people and take the nation on the path of greater glory.
( With inputs from ANI )