Venkaiah Naidu, a long-time member of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has been sworn in as the country's 13th vice president.
Naidu, 68, a federal minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet until recently, was elected by lawmakers of both houses of parliament on August 5.
He takes over from Hamid Ansari, an educator and former foreign services officer, who completed two consecutive terms.
Ansari, a Muslim, created a stir on Thursday after he said there was a feeling of unease and sense of insecurity among Muslims in India.
In an interview to a state-run broadcaster, Ansari said India was a plural society, but its "ambience of acceptance" was under threat. 
As the BJP reacted sharply, Naidu said Ansari's comments were "political propaganda." 
There has been criticism of the government amid the targeting of minorities by radical Hindus over suspicions of beef consumption and slaughter of cattle. Cows are regarded as holy by Hindus.
President Ramnath Kovind administered the oath of office to Naidu on Friday at the Presidential Palace.
Naidu defeated his rival Gopalkrishna Gandhi, a former diplomat and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, who was supported by several opposition parties.
Like Kovind, who was inaugurated in July, Naidu has links with the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, known as the ideological fountainhead of the BJP.
The vice president is the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, parliament's upper house.