PM to inaugurate ONGC's new building tomorrow

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will tomorrow formally inaugurate ONGC's new corporate office that was renamed Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Urja Bhawan, from Rajiv Gandhi Urja Bhawan.

The swanky but green-building built at a cost of Rs 600 crore was completed a year ago and now houses corporate office of India's largest oil and gas producer and its overseas subsidiary ONGC Videsh Ltd.

Company sources said Modi will unveil a statue of Hindutva icon Upadhyaya and address ONGCians at a function tomorrow evening. September 25 marks the end of the government's year-long birth centenary celebrations of Upadhyaya.

Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) had moved into the new office at Vasant Kunj last year and the statue was installed in the compound last week.

ONGC had in February stated that the then prime minister "Dr Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone of Rajiv Gandhi Urja Bhawan on August 20, 2007... the birth anniversary of late Shri Rajiv Gandhi, ex Prime Minister of India" but the name of the complex was changed in October 2016.

"The decision to change the name of the building was taken after it was made Registered Office of the company and the offices situated in Delhi besides company secretariat were shifted to it including that of ONGC Videsh Ltd," it had said.

ONGC had stated that the decision was taken to "honour the memory of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya jee who was a great philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and political scientist (who) tirelessly worked for upliftment of poor people of India".

Further, ONGC had stated that its Executive Committee headed by chairman and managing director Dinesh K Sarraf felt that "this year being the birth centenary year of Pandit Deendayal Upadhaya, it will be befitting tribute to the great visionary" and changed the name of the building.

"This decision arose out of common consensus amongst Executive Committee of ONGC and the change in address was duly communicated to BSE and NSE on October 14, 2016 with approval of ONGC board," it said.

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