KOLKATA: Union Human Resources Development Minister Smriti Irani on Friday called on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat here and held an over 80-minute discussion.
Irani also had a discussion with Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee, who was present, on how to improve standards of some centrally-funded institutes and projects in the state.
On her maiden visit to the state after becoming a minister in the new central government, Irani also attended the annual convocation of the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University at Belur in Howrah district.
She announced that the university would be accorded the status of a "special heritage university."
She said that a university at Belur Math, was envisioned by Swami Vivekananda nearly 111 years ago.
The Ramakrishna Math and the Mission together have 178 branch centres all over India and in different parts of the world.
Irani is the third minister in the Modi government who has called on Mamata Banerjee, after Union Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal and Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.