NEW DELHI: The Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has called for concerted efforts to eliminate the menace of terrorism, tackle climate change, remove social inequalities, alleviate poverty and minimize the urban-rural divide to build a peaceful, harmonious and happy nation.

Speaking at a felicitation function organized by the Vice President’s friends and well wishers in Visakhapatnam following the recent conferment of Doctor Honoris Causa upon him by the Peace University of Costa Rica in recognition of his contribution to the rule of law, democracy, sustainable development and peace, he emphasized that Peace was prerequisite for progress of any nation. Any kind of conflict or strife would prevent developmental prospects of the region. “One cannot pay attention to development if there is tension”, he added.

Naidu said that it was the duty of every citizen to ensure that the social harmony in our country was not disturbed in any way. He called upon the media to conduct a performance audit of parties and candidates and place a progress report before the people to enable them to make an informed choice. He said the people too must seek accountability and performance reports from candidates and the parties.

Referring to the trend of politicians switching parties, the Vice President said that such people must resign to their posts before seeking re-election.